The Hatching of Gold Daelyth and Bronze Palineth's First Clutch
PernMUSH, August 28, 1999
The World of Pern is
copyright(c) to Anne McCaffrey l967. The Dragonriders of Pern(r) is a
registered copyright. Many thanks go to I'sai for providing this log
and the colored hatchling descs that follow. Originally logged by Dendra.
Minor editing (including adding egg poses marked *> ) by I'sai. Additional
editing done by Kassima.
Galleries(#382RDJM$)
Stretching along the eastern wall of the hatching cavern, these
tiers of seats have enough room for several hundred spectators for
Clutchings and Hatchings. To one side, long shallow steps descend to
the entrance. There is also a railing separating the lowest tier of
seats from the Hatching Sands themselves. Other parts of the
galleries are closed off from the sands by a wall to the north and
south. From here you can reenter the bowl, or follow the pathway down
to the Sands. Type 'clutch help' for help with clutch commands.
Contents:
PLAYERS: Janine Adaria Kirina Torande Tuxi Alinora K'ryo
Jasmyn Guest2 Guest4 Arden Dendra Zelig Malia Saskia
Obvious Exits:
Bowl Sands
To see something on the sands, 'view sands' or 'view sands
<object>'. For the up to the moment hatching report use '+sands'.
Contents:
Janine
Adaria sits quietly and waits for her mother to emerge onto the sands.
Zelig has staked out his own little section of the benchs, and is
scanning the new arrivals for familiar faces. Spottng Dendra he
waves.
From the hatching sands, The tiny flakes begin to collect, a few
managing to make their way down to land atop the shuddering eggs,
giving the already pale shells an ephemeral coating that melts away
before it's hardly formed.
Dendra hurries into the stands and moves to where Arden and Zelig
are sitting when she sees them.
From the hatching sands, Jehrina steps over towards Nimiriel and
N'var, tossing the occasional grin up at Daelyth. As bits of snow
blow into the cavern, she peers upwards. As the retired weyrwoman
reaches her destination, she says, "This... out to be interesting."
Kirina moves one seat down, getting as close as she can to the warm
sands.
From the hatching sands, N'var's nervous smile grows a little wider,
seeing Jehrina. He gives her a quick nod of greeting before the
intruding snow grabs his attention again.
Alinora is just tall enough to stand, but gets as close as possible.
Jasmyn looks around her, a bit stunned from her first dragon ride
and seeing snow for the first time.
From the hatching sands, A'lex nods to Jehrina, silver eyes
sparkling, "Yea, if it gets as bad as they say, who knows how much
fun and excitement it'll bring..."
Arden sees his daughter walk up the steps and come right for him. He
turns around and notices that he is also standing right in front of
Zelig. "Oh, sorry," he says instinctively and moves to one side.
"Dendra, what are you doing here?"
From the hatching sands, Daelyth hums deep in her throat as she
watches her eggs rock back and forth in the sands. The snow causes a
bit of annoyance, and she offers a snort before humming again.
Nimiriel grins wryly at Jehrina, "Well, given how we started out, I
shouldn't be surprised by this."
From the hatching sands, Jehrina chuckles softly, and nods, "You
have a point. Leilanth's first flight... was at the beginning of
winter."
Janine murmers to Alinora and Jasmyn. "See the tall fellow down
there? That's N'var. An Igen bronzerider." she quips proudly.
From the hatching sands, A'lex just smirks.
Aidan walks in from outside the room.
Jasmyn peers, trying to get a good look at the rider.
Arden's ears burn. "N'var? -He's- down there?" He squints and looks
down. "That's my nephew!"
Dendra clutches a large rolled hide under one arm and says, "I came
to see the Baker candidates. Alane dropped me off on her way to visit
her Aunt Raimi at the Weaver Hall. I saw all the people and figured
it must be time for the Hatching!" Her eyes are aglow with excitement
at seeing a Hatching without being on the Sands herself.
Terrilia has arrived.
Jasmyn nudges Alinora, "You alright?"
Alinora nods silently.
Mirval has arrived.
From the hatching sands, A'lex raises an eyebrow, "Well, seems we've
got some movement."
Janine waves to Terrilia. "Terri! Down here." she waves from a
corner near the warming sands.
Jasmyn scoots over on the bench, "It's warmer if we huddle together!"
Terrilia looks delighted. "Oh--coming right down!" She hurries to
join Janine, Jasmyn, and Alinora.
Mirval has reconnected.
Kyliven walks in from outside the room.
Kyliven gives her green clutchsib a jaunty wave. "Janine! Eosith
says the eggs are rocking!"
Janine stands and waves to Kyliven. "Kyli! Down here!"
Jasmyn waves to Mirval, "Over here!"
From the hatching sands, A'lex takes a deep breath and makes his way
to the opposite side of the sands from the Nim and N'var,
positioning himself in case necessity calls upon him to do something
other than watch.
Janine nods. "Ace said 'soon' !"
Saskia has disconnected.
Mirval picks his way through the crowd to plop down by Jasmyn,
grinning at her. "Hi! I miss anything yet?"
Arden nods to Dendra and sits down himself. "Well, good timing
then." He leans in close to his daughter. "I just wanted to get out
of the living caverns before they drafted me to help with the feast!"
Dendra turns to Zelig and asks, "So, how are the eggs doing? Have
any cracked yet?"
Jasmyn shakes her head, "Nope, nothing!"
From the hatching sands, Nimiriel leans up against N'var as she
watches the eggs rock, her gaze occasionally flickering toward the
Candidates should be making an appearance.
From the hatching sands, Arallia emerges from the candidate barracks.
From the hatching sands, Alessandra emerges from the candidate barracks.
From the hatching sands, Nicoli emerges from the candidate barracks.
From the hatching sands, Kindre emerges from the candidate barracks.
Kyliven wends her way through the crowd to sit beside the Igen
rider. "Glad to hear that. I'd just finished sweeps when Eosith told
me, so we had to zoom back home so I could change." She grins
sidelong. "Wouldn't do to greet hatchlings in riding leathers, after
all."
From the hatching sands, Ceria emerges from the candidate barracks.
From the hatching sands, Tania emerges from the candidate barracks.
From the hatching sands, Isain emerges from the candidate barracks.
From the hatching sands, Malent emerges from the candidate barracks.
From the hatching sands, Daniel emerges from the candidate barracks.
From the hatching sands, Medei emerges from the candidate barracks.
From the hatching sands, Keagan emerges from the candidate barracks.
From the hatching sands, Javinar emerges from the candidate barracks.
From the hatching sands, Arion emerges from the candidate barracks.
From the hatching sands, Leya emerges from the candidate barracks.
From the hatching sands, Lanryi emerges from the candidate barracks.
Ariat walks in from outside the room.
Dendra stands, whistles and claps up a storm as the Baker Candidates
walk onto the Sands!
From the hatching sands, Jennifer emerges from the candidate barracks.
From the hatching sands, Liadan emerges from the candidate barracks.
From the hatching sands, Myklan emerges from the candidate barracks.
Zelig shakes his head slightly. "No, not yet. They only started to
rock just now." He grins and notes to Arden. "Hey, I wanted to
volunteer, but Dendra said the hatching would be too good to miss."
From the hatching sands, Maylia emerges from the candidate barracks.
From the hatching sands, Alyssa emerges from the candidate barracks.
Arden hushes his daughter. "Not so loud. We -don't- want to lose
them, remember?" He nods to Zelig. "Trust me, better in here than in
-there-. People can become -so- obsessed with hatching feasts."
From the hatching sands, In they creep, two long lines of white-clad
candidates: some are silent, some are chattery, nearly all are
nervous. As they enter, both lines fan out to form one, and as one,
they each bow low in respect thrice. Once is to Palineth, the great
bronze at his ladyqueen's side, then to Daelyth, the great mother of
this clutch. The third is to their riders, N'var and Nimiriel,
dwarfed by their great dragons.
Janine points. "Look! There they come. Mykkie, Leya and Malent.
Nicola, Tania, Isain and Javenar too."
Ariat has left.
Jasmyn shivers with excitement, trying to take everything at once.
From the hatching sands, The storm without gives a terrible roar,
its voice echoing down the borrowed throat of the upper entrance,
then belches forth a stream of steady frozen fire, the winds shifting
to cause a cascade of obscuring flakes to flurry into the Hatching
Grounds proper, creating an airy curtain that begins to obscure the
view of the sands themselves, and all thereon.
Dendra says, "I've never worked one, but I'm sure that trying to
make all that food at once must make you go crazy for a little
while."
Mirval points out at the sands, picking out Malent. "There's Malent!
I don't know if you met him, but I bet not. They'd brought him here
before you got to Igen, I think, Jasmyn."
The Woodcraft Masters' face is unreadable as she stares down at the
sands..."So many of my apprentices" Malia mutters to a nearby
journeyman...a mixture of regret, of course...and extreme pride.
From the hatching sands, Maylia follows the long line of candidates,
her riding jacket loosened, her feet blessedly protected from the
heat of the sands by thick boots. Lucky her - the candidates are in
bare feet, every last one of them.
Kyliven shivers as the wind picks up, and snuggles a bit closer. "Of
course," she admits ruefully, "Igen never gets this sharding cold."
From the hatching sands, Isain's pale eyes fly up - curtains for
them, indeed! - and he hastens Ceria over to the landmark that is
Myklan.
From the hatching sands, Ceria moves obligingly with Isain over to
Myklan.
Jasmyn glad for the body heat of those sitting on either side of
her, nods in agreement with Kylvi.
From the hatching sands, Tania takes a tigher grip on Nic's hand.
"Oh shells..." she whispers as the storm starts in earnest, though
she walks gingerly on the hot sands... perhaps the stom can cool them
off?
From the hatching sands, Alyssa walks alongside Maylia, the long and
short of the Weyrlingmaster pair, though the quiet bluerider shows
marked deference to the younger, smaller rider. To Daelyth and
Palineth, she makes a bow, affectionate and respectful, before taking
a spot from which she may watch.
From the hatching sands, Nicoli walks quietly now among her
comrades, looking up at the galleries with giant eyes before
searching out Leya and Tania to stand with.
Mirval has partially disconnected.
Kediran has arrived.
From the hatching sands, Jennifer finds herself lost, or nearly so
as she steps out onto the sands and through the fog, "Aless?" her
voice is soft as she calls out, one hand held out towards the person
infront of her.
Janine grins. "Riding jackets are good!" she agrees and huddles
deeper into hers, the collar turned up.
From the hatching sands, Malent looks up suprised , trying to see,
he offer his hands to anyone as he is taller than most like Myklan.
From the hatching sands, Javinar glances upward with a blink as he
follows Aless across the sand. "-That- is persistent snow," he
murmurs, then apparently notes the obscuration of the surrounding
area. "Uh oh. Aless, stick close."
From the hatching sands, Myklan stands where he comes to a halt,
oblivious to Isain joining him on one side...or his flame-haired
brother with the too-smug look on the other. One glance goes up to
the snow, in either surprise or awe...and then he looks back down at
the sands, silent and motionless.
Arden nods to his daughter. "The thing is, no matter how much you
work at it, people don't notice because they've still got the
Hatching fresh in their minds. So, if you ever do, don't push it.
Just get the job done an' try and enjoy it yourself."
From the hatching sands, Arallia leads the candidates out in a long
string, before she finds herself back near Alyssa and Maylia, after
bowing to the dragons of course.
*> From the hatching sands, Mountain Vastness Egg rocks more
strongly now, snow swirling about the egg as it moves. Sand flies off
the egg, and the mound depens. Tiny black cracks begin to appear
across the shell as the dragon inside struggles. The egg rolls over.
From the hatching sands, Mountain Vastness Egg has arrived.
From the hatching sands, N'var gives the candidates a nod in return
for their greeting. He wraps an arm around Nimiriel, eying the snow
coming through the entrance with more trepidation than before.
From the hatching sands, Alessandra slips in between Jennifer and
Javinar, white as a sheet as she watches the flakes tumble down down
down. "Here I am," she murmurs to Jenn as she clasps her hand,
clenching back onto Javinar's as well. "Let's stick together, it's...
safer that way."
From the hatching sands, Medei waves a hand in front of his face at
the snow and steam now in front of his face. "Oh... lovely." He
follows Isain almost absently, tucks his hands behind his back, and
tries to remain intent and watchful.
Zelig tries to keep his eyes on both the sands and Arden, as he
files away this important information.
From the hatching sands, Malent grabs Jav's hand, seeing a glimnse
of him in between fog banks.
From the hatching sands, Kindre paces toward A'lex, her stride
purposeful, her smile painted with excitement. She gives a nod to
Nimiriel, then stands quietly beside the Weyrleader, anxious to
watch.
*> From the hatching sands, Igen's Rim Rock Egg stops moving for a
long moment, then rocks once before stopping again -- its motions not
easily percieved through the flakes of snow falling into the cavern.
From the hatching sands, Ceria clutches at Isain's arm, almost
unconsciously as she watches the cracks forming in the Mountain egg.
She leans forward a bit as she tries to peer through the stormy
weather's fog and shifts her feat.
*> From the hatching sands, Intricate Gather Gown Egg wiggles a bit.
Dendra nods and says, "Yes, sir. I'll remember that." But her eyes
are focused on the Sands and the candidates that she knows.
From the hatching sands, Jehrina nods to the candidates, surveying
careful. The smile is widely apparent on her face. "Been a long time,
it has."
Mirval gives Kyliven a sympathetic look. "I'm _used_ to the cold, or
I was! And I'm still freezing."
From the hatching sands, Daniel blinks and waves a hand in front of
his face to try and waft away the steam cloud. Somehow, he reaches
his place, and stnds nervously, constantly shifting his feet.
From the hatching sands, Javinar wags a finger at Aless whether she
can see it or not. "No fear, remember." Malent gets a blink as Jav
feels his hand seized, then a faint grin.
From the hatching sands, Unable to wait any longer, the Mountain
Vastness Egg's tenant decides that now is the time to be free. The
egg rolls along the sands like a river spilling down a rocky buff. It
bumps into a neighboring egg in its path causing crannies to begin
to wind themselves across the its face. Like boulders rolling free
during an avalanche, so too do the broken shells from this
hatchling's home. It abruptly crashes to the sands, moist and free,
offering a weak bugle of greeting.
Glacier's Veil Hatchling
With the stillness of a glacier, the hatchling's form is immutable.
Obscured as it is, thanks to the fury of the storm, there is little
detail to be gleaned through the veil of sleet and snow. But what
there is is palpably real. Stark, strong lines, and a commanding
contour give the fledgling an eminent air.
From the hatching sands, Leya gives Nicoli's hand a slight
squeeze...even as she sneaks a quick look toward the stands. Doubtful
she'll find what she's looking for in the crowd...but she does this
anyway...until the movements of the eggs distracts her.
From the hatching sands, Keagan sets his palm above his eyes,
peering out at the eggs. They seem so different now.
From the hatching sands, Arion is still being dragged by that rather
overexuberent candie called Jaethine, finding himself halfway across
the sands before he draws himself away. Looking about at the snow
blown sands, he tries his best to lose himself within the crowds of
Candidates, somehow ending up somewhere near Malent and Javinar. Or
at least who he thinks is them.
*> From the hatching sands, Ball of Yarn Egg slips again, turning
and shuddering as more sand filters away from its base. Small cracks
appear all along its surface, though for the moment it remains
stubbornly intact.
From the hatching sands, Jennifer clings to Aless' hand when it
slips into hers and waves her free hand around at the side of her as
if fishing for another candidate who might be here. "Can't see a
blasting thing." Then a little soft gasp, "hear that? I heard it."
Can't see it though.
From the hatching sands, Nicoli clutches her friends' hands with
almost desperateness, feet moving to try and keep from being cooked
even as she peers into the mist and snow, seeing eggs rock but not
which ones.. "Oh Shells.." she whispers as she hears one crack opem.
*> From the hatching sands, Lemon Meringue Pie Egg twitches almost
imperceptively, then stills again.
From the hatching sands, Malent lifts his head, "Listen, I hear
something, is that a chrrup?
From the hatching sands, Isain stands put, baker armband cutting off
his circulation or no, and from his taller friend's lee, stares out
into the dimness. "Heard something," he mutters; "...That you,
Medei?"
From the hatching sands, Lanryi looks out towards the galleries to
find a farmiliar face. The snow blocks her view, but she trys anyways
before she turns back to watch the eggs.
From the hatching sands, Alessandra just watches as one egg crashes
open, fingers tightening around Jav's and Jenn's. "No fear," she
repeats, calming her self forcefully. "Good luck you two..." A pause,
then, "One just cracked open, Jenn, but I can't tell what color..."
From the hatching sands, Medei creeps up next to Isain, squinting
against the snow and mist, "That's me. I think I heard that."
From the hatching sands, Ceria turns her head in the direction Isain
is looking. "What was that?" she breathes, trying to see through the
fog.
Kyliven shivers again, then squints into the snow, winds, and steam
caused by the meeting of hot Sands and cold blizzard. "I think I saw
something down there -- something not a Candidate. Did one of them
Hatch?" She cranes her head around and up to peer up at the ledges,
then nods. "Eosith said they're beginning to Hatch!"
From the hatching sands, Myklan says, his deep voice stilled in the
moment. "No...I think it was a dragon, Isain...not Medei.../that/ was
Medei..."
From the hatching sands, Ariat has arrived.
Arden blinks and rubs his eyes. "Will someone tell them to close the
roof!" he shouts out with as much volume as the old man can muster.
From the hatching sands, Liadan pauses as she steps into the steam,
not in hesitancy, but in searching. Finally, she begins her slow way
along the rim of the grotto towards the wall that borders the
galleries. Carefully, she bends down and lifts something small and
hard - a rock, it would seem. With a light shrug, her fingers close
tighter on the stone and she turns, half-cocking her head. Erratic
sounds come at her through the fog and she moves towards them,
avoiding the distinctive egg-sounds. And soon, she stands beside
Isain. "I'm here," she murmurs to identify herself.
From the hatching sands, Glacier's Veil Hatchling spills out of the
remains of it's egg. An almost mournful creeling comes from the
direction of the hatchling as it attempts to bury it's head back in
the largest piece of it's shell. That means no one can see it, right?
The hatchling spends a long moment there, waiting.
From the hatching sands, Keagan folds his hands around his back,
rocking slightly on his heels. A small puff of air is let go of,
slowly, as the egg moves.
From the hatching sands, Javinar cocks his head, frowning in
concentration. "Thought that's what I heard." He peers around, and
shakes his head. "Can't see. Keep your ears open. I don't plan to get
walked on. At least, not by anything with talons."
From the hatching sands, Malent pulls Arion back close to him, "keep
and eye peeled, so we dont get a paniced baby."squeezes Jav's hand.
From the hatching sands, "What that a crack? Was it?" Leya asks
Nicoli. "Did you hear that?" she adds as she strains to see anything
at all.
From the hatching sands, Isain sits back on his heels at their
corrections, only to wince back to just his toes; "And Liadan," he
chatters. "Tell me you didn't bring your knives."
From the hatching sands, Nimiriel squeezes N'var's hand as the first
of 'their' eggs hatches. Daelyth gives a bugle of encouragement for
her hatchling.
From the hatching sands, Nicoli shivers, then forces herself to look
calm, then nods to Leya. "Aye, I heard it.. one of them's hatched.."
she replies, trying to see exactly /what/ hatched.
From the hatching sands, Tania peers though the fog, seeing
something that is /not/ person move. "Oh... did one hatch, did it?
What was it?"
From the hatching sands, Daniel jumps a bit as he hears an egg
brack, then peers through the fog, straining his eyes for a glimpse
of the hatchling.
From the hatching sands, Ceria reaches around Isain, searching for
Liadan's hand. "I heard one of the hatchlings," she says excitedly.
From the hatching sands, Palineth pushes his chest out proudly, his
deep, brassy voice challenging the storm as he welcomes the first of
his children to the world.
From the hatching sands, Medei peers off toward where he heard that
noise, still squinting. "I think ... is it there? I think I see it,
but... I can't tell what color."
From the hatching sands, Jennifer leans in closer to the unseen
Aless, "I heeeearr it!" She whispers, her body tilting forwrad as she
scans the fog. "Or maybe that was Palineth?"
From the hatching sands, Jaethine stands lonely as Arion detaches
himself from her. With a gusty sigh, she gazes around for someone to
grab and gab to - Nicoli! That's her voice heard in the fog. "Nicoli,
that was a dragon! Did you hear? A dragon! Is it a blue? I bet it's
a blue! Or a green!"
From the hatching sands, Arion allows Malent to drag him close by,
his own golden gaze scanning the snow-clogged air. " I heard that,"
he murmurs, trying to pierce the air. " Where, though?" Keeping one's
eyes peeled is all good and fine, but what if you can't see
anything?
From the hatching sands, Ariat chuckles as she hears Javinar's
comment through the fog, as she tries to get a glimpse at the
hatchling in the limited sight distance, "I did hear a hatchlng
didn't I?" she asks, almsot to herself.
Jasmyn puts her scarf around her head, trying to see /anything/. She
mutters "Bad as an igen sandstorm."
Aidan says "this is exciting, you can't even tell the color ."
From the hatching sands, Myklan can't decide if he should shiver or
sweat, so brushes the collecting snow off his head and onto the hot
sands, where it melts quickly.
From the hatching sands, Liadan allows her hand to be taken, but her
fingers remain limp and unresponsive as she murmurs solemnly to
Isain, "Only one. On a string tied around my neck...hanging down my
back."
Terrilia shivers and leans forward, peering toward the sands. She
grins at Jasmyn.
From the hatching sands, Keagan briefly looks toward Palineth, then
quickly back to the sands. He's up on his toes, trying to see over a
Harper girl directly in front of him. "What is it?"
From the hatching sands, Lanryi shifts her feet on the ho sands,
trying to see the new hatchlings through the snow and fog.
From the hatching sands, Isain teases, "She'll clamp onto you too,
Lia, and then you'll be in trouble; there we go, heard a noise, an
unhappy noise, and it's either one of them or one of us." He's quiet,
then, if for a moment. "Down your back."
From the hatching sands, Nicoli smiles slightly at the excitable
girl, finding her robe clutched by her and hearing the question.
"Aye, something hatched.. can't tell the color." she murmurs to her
friends.
From the hatching sands, Maylia wanders around the loose aggregation
of candidates, finding her way from one cluster of wobbly-kneed
lads, to a string of girls holding hands, all seeming to disappear in
the fog that lifts from the sands. White robes melt into their
surroundings, often a dark-haired head seems to hover midair. "Keep
moving, and listen sharp if you can't see." She advises, her voice
perhaps only reaching those closest to her.
From the hatching sands, Alessandra oh's very softly as she hears a
creeling, straining to see through the snow and steam. Is it hot or
cold in this place?... Tendrils escape from the coronet-style of
braid around her head, only to be brushed back by one hand that
immediately slips back into either Jav's or Jenn's hand.
Mirval says emphatically, "I bet it's a blue."
Kyliven has to chuckle at Jasmyn's words. "True -- and it's just as
easy to die in one of these." Ah, that's no good, Kyli. No more
morbid thoughts, not tonight. Instead she leans forward, one arm
wrapped about her neck in a futile effort to keep warm. "What color
is it?"
From the hatching sands, "Down my back," Liadan affirms gravely.
*> From the hatching sands, Igen's Rim Rock Egg begins to rock in
earnest, and the sound of tapping can be heard from the inside.
Dendra fastens her cloak closed again, and huddles close to Zelig
for warmth.
From the hatching sands, Ceria flushes at Isain's comment, though no
one can really see. She drops Liadan's hand and Isain's and composes
herself, devoting a moment to cooling her feet by lifting them off
the sands.
"I can't see a sharding thing" Malia complains loudly to any and all
near her.
From the hatching sands, Alyssa is quite comfortable in her boots
and leathers, and her detachment is facial only, for her gaze, beyond
those features, is lively and excited.
From the hatching sands, Daniel starts rocking on his feet, from
toes to heel and back, all senses straining for the location of the
hatchling.
From the hatching sands, Isain cocks his head. Tapping? Imagination?
"...It's not so bad, Ceria," he murmurs, and offers his own damp
palm.
Zelig makes use of that overlarge jacket he grabbed when rushing out
of the training center as he opens it up to over Dendra the somewhat
limited extra protection of the gold sharing it might give.
From the hatching sands, Glacier's Veil Hatchling appears to be
content for several long moments, head hidden in the shell remains.
This lasts until another egg rolls over and hits the shell, knocking
it over onto the hatchling. It creeeels pitifully, almost leaping
back in what one might consider terror. With red-swirling eyes, the
baby dragon stalks quickly off in the other direction, now searching.
From the hatching sands, Malent sees what he thinks his movement,
"To the left, there, was that something?"
From the hatching sands, Javinar casts a look of disbelief toward...
is that Liadan? Must be, from that comment. "You -didn't-." His tone
is somewhat distracted- snow or no, the sands are -hot-.
*> From the hatching sands, Intricate Gather Gown Egg shudders
again, a bit stronger this time.
From the hatching sands, Ceria laughs, her voice sounding a little
strange and then grasps Isain's hand, lightly this time.
*> From the hatching sands, Yellowed Ivory Egg wobbles too and fro,
thumping slightly into anything around it. A VERY slight *scrape*
sound comes from inside the shell.
From the hatching sands, Tania flinches as she hears the creel. "Oh,
poor thing..." she whispers, trying in vain to see it better.
Arden hrms and gives Dendra and Zelig a brief look. Only a brief one
though. "Shard, it's cold. I thought these caverns were supposed to
be hot! Get some firestone in here or something!"
From the hatching sands, Jennifer jabs a finger out into the mist,
"there! Eyes! See them? Oh, I see...him? Her? It. Sharding weather."
She picks up a foot and shakes some burning sand from it. "Did
something happen to it?"
From the hatching sands, Alessandra shivers slightly at that pitiful
creel, brows furrowing together as she clenches tighter around
Javinar and Jennifer's hands. "Will you listen to that?... Poor
thing... And what are those scrapings?..."
From the hatching sands, Arallia happens to catch sight of Maylia,
for a moment, before she too decides to do the warning thing and
begins to make a circut of the candidates. "Remember, listen, if you
see a gangly body infront of you, move and move quickly. Who knows
who they're going for." After a moment, she starts to search through
thet steam for the weyrling master.
From the hatching sands, Nicoli grins, telling her friends, "The
others are moving, can you hear it?" she asks, trying to confirm if
it's her ears playing tricks. Hands clench down on those she has.
From the hatching sands, Liadan takes the moment and lifts the
released hand to pull the restraining band from her hair. Strands
ripple down around her face, and she cocks her head once more, every
sound heard and recorded, from the shrillest sob to the tiniest
shuffle of shell against sand.
Janine peers at the sands through the swirling snow, fog and steam.
"I don't know what's happenning. Ace tells me one has hatched, but I
can't see it."
From the hatching sands, Arion cocks his head, narrowing his eyes to
peer off to one side. The clack of egg against shell draws his
attention, along with the creeling of the hatchling. " Where is it?"
he whispers, not trusting a louder sound for fear of attracting undue
attention.
From the hatching sands, Leya nods slightly...the movement hardly
seen. "I do...over there?" she asks, pointing with her free hand.
From the hatching sands, Tania nods at Nic... her eyes shifting from
the large thing moving ahead to where the other eggs are rocking.
From the hatching sands, Daniel peers all the harder into the mist
as he hears evidence of a second hatchling. Fidgeting like crazy, he
doesn't ever seem to stop moving.
From the hatching sands, Malent says "I cant tell Arion, all I see
is the one if front of us and its not moving."
From the hatching sands, "That first one is taking its time," Kindre
chuckles to A'lex, crossing her arms in front of her and affecting a
casual pose. Her smile has not dimmed since she reached the sands.
*> From the hatching sands, Ball of Yarn Egg gives a sudden, violent
jerk and rolls off its sandy perch.
From the hatching sands, Ariat laughs nervously as she begins to
hear the sounds of several egg occupents preparing themselves for
their first glimpse at thier new world, "How many are actually
hatched? I keep hearing noises...." she looks unsure and then holds
up her hand in the steam, "Shells! I can barely see my hand...but you
can see a little movement!" she calls as she brushes off her
shoulders.
From the hatching sands, Got Milk Egg shatters in an explosion of
egg shards, revealing a small dragonet that is proven to be a green
as the wind happens to blow a cloud of mist away from her. With a
little creel, she makes a beeline for one of the Candidates in the
back, a young lad from the Weavercraft who sinks to his knees and
wraps his arms around her neck. "Harzoth!"
From the hatching sands, A'lex grins, "Aye... of course how it can
FIND anyone out here..."
From the hatching sands, Isain, with the balance of Ceria's hand,
stands on just one of his feet like one of those marsh-dwelling
avians. Through the thumping, through the searching, he glances up at
Myk and then away.
Aidan smiles as someone from her craft impresses.
From the hatching sands, Keagan seems a little frustrated as he
peers first one way then the other until the shards start flying. One
zips past his head, but a quick duck puts him out of the way.
From the hatching sands, Nicoli shivers from snow falling and shifts
from foot to foot to keep her feet from baking, even used to going
bare foot as she is. "Someone's Impressed!" she tells her friends
excitedly, seeing the little green.
From the hatching sands, The curtain of white that forms slowly
begins to give way to a thick, humid sensation in the air, as water
that was once snowflakes finds the hatching sands too hot and begins
to sizzle and steam. Faint curls of dancing fog begin to drift off
the grains of volcanic ash, adding mist to the snowy veil.
*> From the hatching sands, Crystalline Polar Starlight Egg quivers
against the sand, shifting almost imperceptibly out of the hollow
beneath it before dropping back into the depression again and halting
its movement.
From the hatching sands, Malent wows, "Did you see that Jav? it was
a green, where did? ...Oh she found someone!"
From the hatching sands, Daniel watches the little green find her
partner, a slight smile on his face, then whips his head back around
at a sound from where the eggs are.
Arden looks down and left at Malia and says, "My condolences, Master."
*> From the hatching sands, Lemon Meringue Pie Egg looks as if
topped with creamy froth thanks to this snow fall. It twitches and
the frosty topping slides off.
From the hatching sands, Ball of Yarn Egg has arrived.
From the hatching sands, Myklan brushes the precipitation out of his
eyelashes again, and glances first at Isain, and then at the last
place he saw his brother...indeed, Medrel's still there, and
unattached.
Kyliven whoops and actually leaps to her feet for a moment at the
sight of the green, only sitting again after some fairly loud
complaints from a seacrafter behind her. She sits again, unabashedly
grinning. "Didja see that /gorgeous/ green, Janine?" Nice and dark,
so she doesn't have to worry about Eosith's libido.
From the hatching sands, Ceria widens her eyes in an attempt to see
better, her gaze alert as she peers around her. She's on the lookout
for anything that might be moving toward them. She squeezes Isain's
hand a little as she shifts her feet again.
From the hatching sands, Still suddenly, the Ball of Yarn Egg sits
almost too peacefully on the sabulous grounds that nurtured it for so
long. Then the occupant within seems to tire of its encasement;
tipping this way and that, the ovoid seems to unravel rather than
break apart. A moistened muzzle emerges, then claws, until the
hatchling finally makes its way free of the egg. Slipping out of the
shell and onto the sands it a rather awkward maneuver, it sits ready
for viewing.
Lake-frost and Ice Hatchling
The swirling wind pushes up a cloud of snow and ice through which
only a few shadowy, sharp and angled features can be seen. A sheer
blast of frost and ice obscure the hatchling's color, but there's no
mistaking the purposeful turn of the small triangular head. This
one's powerful presence can't be dimmed by the storm's fury, as it
adds a triumphant bugle to the tumult of the storm.
From the hatching sands, Jaethine bounds up in the air in an attempt
to see. "Impressed! Impressed! Impressed!" she chants. "A green! And
another! Another! What color, what color, what color?" She stands up
on her toes, straining to see.
From the hatching sands, "I saw it!" Leya says, her voice rising in
excitement... "There! Another crack! It all around us!" Or so it
seems.
From the hatching sands, Javinar shakes his head a bit,
concentrating on listening. "Hope it's not hurt. At least the
dragonets are used to not seeing anything but white..." He trails
off, trying to see the Impressee, and his face lights up in a grin as
he barely spots the green. "Ladies first, I always say."
*> From the hatching sands, Igen's Rim Rock Egg rocks so hard it
falls over, leaning against a small hill of sand. Motion stills,
though the tapping from within is a bit more frantic.
From the hatching sands, Jennifer's expression might be hidden by
the fog, but the pleased tone in her voice is not as she calls out,
"That one is a green I saw that one! Oooh!" Leaning over through the
steam she attempts to get a better look, not letting go of Aless'
hand however.
From the hatching sands, Alessandra, off her balance by the steam
and snow, merely calls a congratulations towards the weaverlad who
had just Impressed before she swivles towards the sound of another
cracking egg.
From the hatching sands, Tania blinks at Nic. "Impressed? Where
what? Did I just hear another hatch?"
From the hatching sands, Daniel snaps straight upright as he hears
the bugle, then his eyes fight to focus on one of the new arrivals.
From the hatching sands, Medei rocks back and forth in the hollows
of sand he's dug for himself. Twitching, he tries to locate the
source of this latest noise -- more eggshells cracking.
From the hatching sands, Glacier's Veil Hatchling stalks slowly
towards a group of candidates, it's form and colour almost visible to
those closest. A boy, a girl, standing close together, hands
clasped. As he starts to croon, his brown form becomes finally
visible. He sniffs at one, then up at the other, seemingly entranced
by the dark hair.
From the hatching sands, Nicoli blinks, eyes widening until she
hears another bugle. "Another!" she tells her friends, agreeing with
Jaethine. Shift Shift. Shiver Shiver. She nods to Tania and looses
her hand to point. "There!"
Malia looks at Arden with a narrowed glance "Your condolences?" she
asks. "Did one of my woodsmiths Impress?" she asks.
From the hatching sands, Maylia might not be able to see the green
make her choice, but she hears those unmistakable tones through the
uncomfortable steam. In moments, the weavercraft lad turned weyrling
is shown off the sands, the little dragonet keeping up with their
slow progress with ease, glistening eyes staring up adoringly upon
her choice. The pair disappears down the tunnel from the sands, and
Maylia returns.
From the hatching sands, Arion shakes his head slightly, looking
around. " I can't see a thing, Malent." The cry of Impression has him
craning his neck, trying to see what's happening.
Dendra squeals herself and says, "Didja hear that bugle? That must
have been a bronze! It was too loud to be a green or a blue!"
From the hatching sands, Keagan calls out over the group, "It's a
brown?" It doesn't seem to matter to him who hears at the moment.
From the hatching sands, Jehrina peers around the cavern, "Hard to
see. This'll be one to remember, surely. Or not remember, since we
can't see."
Arden nods and points down. "I think so." He squints again and gives
a sigh. "Wait, no, I think that's a rider. I'm sorry." He puts on
his old-Masterly-smile.
From the hatching sands, Ceria lets out a little squeal as the brown
is revealed directly in front of her. "Carabeth..." she breathes and
then calls the name out strongly. "Carabeth!" She drops Isain's hand
and steps toward the brown.
From the hatching sands, Isain swallows, there in the humidity. He
requests of his fellows nearby, "See something, yell. I'll look, ...
straight ahead. I'll look..." But when he mouths his fellow baker's
name, it's soundless, no yell at all.
Mirval laughs. "What _she_ said," he points at Dendra. "I agree.
Must be a bronze."
From the hatching sands, Ariat looks up as she first hears and then
sights the newly impressed green hatchling, she smiles and then looks
up as she hears another egg cracking. She looks up at the spot where
the snow is coming in and then wipes her shoulders off again. She
looks up as and sees the newly hatched brown and then hears Ceria's
cry.
From the hatching sands, Nicoli hears Ceria. "Congrats Ceria!!" she
calls excitedly, hearing of the impression.
Aidan says "It was someone from my craft who impressed."
From the hatching sands, Myklan startles as the brown finds himself
so close...and then breaks into a huge smile, showing off lots of
bright white teeth to anyone who could see through the snow and haze.
Malia's expression breaks into a smile "Quite alright" she
says...relief? Disappointment? Hard to tell.
From the hatching sands, Alessandra watches the misty form of the
Glacier's Veil dragonet wander towards a pair, shooting a beaming
grin at Jennifer as she hears Ceria's cry. "She did it," Aless
murmurs before calling out her congratulations.
From the hatching sands, "Carabeth...what a fine name," Alyssa says
with a congratulatory ring to her voice, heading toward Ceria.
Zelig peers into the snow. "Was that one of ours?"
From the hatching sands, Jennifer dances on her toes in the heated
sands, "oh Carabeth is a wonderful name. Was that Ceria." Hearing
Nicoli's voice seem to verify that for her she laughs, "Oh Ceria,
that's wonderful!"
From the hatching sands, Tania looks about her, finally seeing
through the fog at the brown. "Ceria! Was that Ceria!?"
Frustrated, Terrilia scans back and forth across the grounds. "It's
so hard to see!"
From the hatching sands, Keagan can't see Ceria too well, but calls
to her, "Congrats, Ceria! Good for you and your brown!"
From the hatching sands, Medei coughs at seeing the brown so close,
and his eyes go very very wide at Ceria. "Oh... oh, Ceria. That's so
great!"
From the hatching sands, Malent says "Ceria, good going!"
*> From the hatching sands, Intricate Gather Gown Egg jerks and
rolls a bit, sending flurries of not yet melted snow scattering
around.
From the hatching sands, Daniel hears Ceria's shout, and looks over.
Smiling and calling a congratulations, his attention is diverted
from the sands.
From the hatching sands, Javinar gulps, hearing a name called out.
"Ceria! Oh, Ceria, way to -go-!" He grins down at Aless, nodding.
Arden latches onto Zelig's words. "Who?"
From the hatching sands, Lake-frost and Ice Hatchling shakes a few
clinging shell pieces from its wet hide. The storm hides a creel as
wings and tail lash out at the snow. Getting its bearings, the
hatchling turns a purposeful eeye on the white robes.
Dendra jumps up and shouts as loudly as she can, "Yay, Ceria! Woo
woo woo woo woo!"
From the hatching sands, Ariat smiles, happy for her fellow
candidate, "What an excellent name...wish I could get a better look
at 'im though." she chuckles and smooths down her curling hair.
From the hatching sands, "Carabeth?" Arion wonders quietly, before
squinting through the increasing snow and fog. "Ceria?" A pause for
confirmation. "Ceria, congrats!" Finally, a show of emotion.
Tanata walks in from outside the room.
Kyliven says "Huh - I would've figured that one for a blue. He
seemed pretty small to me, don't you think, Janine? Or maybe the
steam was just hiding him."
From the hatching sands, Arallia's head jerks up as she glances
through the fog, trying to see, "Ceria? Was that who I heard
impress?" She quickly moves back toward the weyrlingmasters to try
and catch sight of the new weyrling pair.
From the hatching sands, Lanryi looks through the steam to see the
brown Impress, and calls a congratulations to the pair.
From the hatching sands, "It was Ceria? Wonderful!" Leya exclaims,
dropping Nic's hand long enough to clap for her. But the candidate
from the woodsmiths is quick to take Nic's hand again.
Jasmyn grins at the excited baker.
From the hatching sands, Maylia pauses in her progress back to the
sands, as a clearing in the mist provides her with a view of Alyssa
heading towards Ceria. And so, the Weyrlingmaster pauses there,
waiting for the pair to be directed her way.
From the hatching sands, A'lex grins, "Ceria! It's about time!" He's
cheering loudly.
Arden says "Ceria? Isn't that the girl that almost burned down the
Weyr?"
Zelig ofers some of his own clapping when Dendra confirms the
idenity of the impressie.
From the hatching sands, Ceria stands close to Carabeth's side as
both of them move toward Maylia.
From the hatching sands, Daelyth lets out a very self-satisfied
rumble as Ceria Impresses, and Nimiriel shakes N'var's hand. "Ceria!
Oh, I'm so happy for her! We kept telling her that it was only going
to be a matter of time."
From the hatching sands, Nicoli giggles delitghtedly. "She did!" she
agrees with her friends, before brown eyes try to peer through the
mist to see any others that have hatched.
From the hatching sands, Kindre laughs delightedly. "Well, I hope
Master Ofira isn't too cross, but that's a grand choice!"
From the hatching sands, Jennifer's breath comes out in a soft,
pleased sigh as someone she knows impresses. Aless' hand in hers gets
a tight squeeze once she stops dancing. Then she turns alert again,
scanning the sauna-like atmosphere for other dragons who might want
to run through her to get to their lifemate.
Janine clenches her hands, looking for her friends and having so
hard a time seeing.
From the hatching sands, Carabeth croons, then warbles a bit
pitifully, nudging at his lifemate.
From the hatching sands, Isain, now on both feet and with a gap to
his side, folds both arms and watches Ceria, and her Carabeth, until
the mist steals even that last tip of tail from his vision.
Jasmyn wipes tears from her eyes and glances away from Ceria, almost
embarassed at such joy.
From the hatching sands, Alessandra is listening now for the Ice
dragonet, she /knows/ she heard it pop somewhere... "I hope that next
one is okay," she murmurs to Javinar, straining her gaze through
that horrid steam.
From the hatching sands, Alyssa places a hand on Ceria's shoulder
and leads her, and the young brown, toward the barracks and off the
sands. She seems quite pleased by what has happened.
From the hatching sands, Ceria heads off towards the bowl on the way
to the weyrling barracks.
From the hatching sands, Malent keeps turning his head, trying to
see or hear anything.
From the hatching sands, Maylia offers Ceria a wide smile, as the
young woman and her brown dragonet approach her. "Congratulations,"
she says, gesturing towards the path from the sands. "If you'll help
Carabeth to the barracks, we'll get him fed immediately. Watch his
wings don't trail."
From the hatching sands, Maylia heads off towards the bowl on the
way to the weyrling barracks.
Dendra turns to her father and absently says, "No, that was me Dad."
Then she turns back to the swirling storm to try and see or hear who
Impresses next.
From the hatching sands, Medei shifts his feet in the hot sands,
rubs the back of his wrist across his forehead, andblows out a long
breath. "Shards," he breathes. "That's amazing."
From the hatching sands, Carabeth heads off towards the bowl on the
way to the weyrling barracks.
From the hatching sands, Daniel watches the pair leave for a while,
then turns his eyes back to the sands. Swiveling his head around, he
does his utmost to spot a hatchling. Wiping his palms on his robe, he
shifts from foot to foot and glances over at his fellow candidates.
Arden nods to his daughter. "Oh, that's right." He blinks. "It was
-you?-"
From the hatching sands, Jehrina beams after Ceria, "Ofira is going
to be very put out."
*> From the hatching sands. Intricate Gather Gown Egg thumps and
bounces a bit more.
*> From the hatching sands, From within the Igen's Rim Rock Egg, the
sound of tapping ceases--as if the occupant within was taking a
short breather. Mud coating half of its surface, it looks like it's
nothing more than a rock in a pile of sand...until it starts to move
again.
Zander has arrived.
From the hatching sands, Silver Tabby Egg rolls over and over and
over again until it comes to rest against Daelyth's foot. She nudges
the egg away, just as it splits in half to reveal a little blue
hatchling. After a whuffle and a croon of encouragement from dam and
sire, he scrambles his way through the humid, misty sands to find his
lifemate-- a young lass from Benden Hold. Joyfully, she calls out
his name, "Deonath!"
From the hatching sands, Tania whispers softly. "That's so great..."
she looks around her and begins to shift from foot to foot.
From the hatching sands, Lake-frost and Ice Hatchling shakes its
head, a louder, more annoyed creel coming from the hatchling as the
storm hides what it seeks. It lifts itself up, pinions swept back,
and moves forward with deliberation as it spies exactly that in the
flurry of snow.
From the hatching sands, Arion allows a momentary grin to touch his
lips, before once more falling back into his usual sobriety. Perhaps
a bit more grim than usual... the snow is helping to mask the noise
of the hatchlings, as well as the sight. At least, from his ears.
From the hatching sands, Malent says "I heard a creel, poor thing is
having as much trouble as we are."
K'ryo walks off towards the Central Bowl.
From the hatching sands, Isain agrees, finally, "She was right -here-."
From the hatching sands, Nicoli can't help but grin as friends begin
to impress. Hearing a hatchling creel in annoyance she tries to peer
through the mist. "Did you hear that?"
From the hatching sands, Myklan seems unaware of the fact that his
thick curls are plastered against his cheeks as he shifts his
position, back and forth. A quiet collision can be heard as his
brother has managed the same motion at the same time, an
'Oooph'...and those that can get a glimpse are treated to the picture
of Myklan having to help Medrel up, dusting him off with a muttered
apology.
From the hatching sands, Javinar nods to Alessandra, clearing his
throat. "They'll all be alright," he tries to reassure her, though
his voice cracks. "They better be. Daelyth up in motherly indignation
isn't something I want to see... if I could see anything." He cocks
his head, listening to the creeling. "Somebody's not happy."
From the hatching sands, Tania nods absently, still trying to see
through the fog. "Yes... Oh, I wish we could see them!"
*> From the hatching sands, Intricate Gather Gown Egg starts to
tremble, and never QUITE stops.
From the hatching sands, Leya laughs, a high sort of nervous type.
"I hear it...how can they find us...we can't even /see/ them"
From the hatching sands, Daniel holds a hand over his eyes, as if
that would help. His hair is plastered to his skull, and the back of
his robe is soaked with sweat.
From the hatching sands, Alyssa returns from the barracks, still
smiling with delight over what has so far happened. She takes up her
vigilant stance again, eyes on the sands to see what pairings next
need direction.
From the hatching sands, Ariat tries to get a gleam of the most
recently impressed pair and looks down at her feet which are
beginning to bother her a little. She then cocks her head as she
hears the creel, "Poor thing! I bet she's having a terrible time of
it! It must be awful, just hatching and having to find someone in
-this- weather." she sighs and unconsciously smoothes her hair once
again.
From the hatching sands, Jennifer frowns a little, eyes squinting
desperately into the fog, "Is he--she coming our way? Oh jays."
Looking worried, Jasmyn says, "They will be alright won't they? The
hatchlings?"
From the hatching sands, Arion casts a glance in Leya's general
direction. " That's not a thought I wanted," he calls across the
sands. Just imagine... blind dragonets stumbling about...
From the hatching sands, Alessandra finally catches sight of the
Lake-frost and Ice dragonet, listening as it creels. "Annoyed? I'd
be, too, at this sharding steam..." This is murmured to no one in
particular as shifting eyes sweep from eggs that she can see to the
misty form of the Ice dragonet to Jav and Jenn and the other
candidates.
From the hatching sands, Isain steps a touch away from the brothers,
muttering, "You two all right? I can't -see-..."
From the hatching sands, Intricate Gather Gown Egg has arrived.
From the hatching sands, Ariat hmms, "Then again...it could be a
he..." she shrugs.
From the hatching sands, Larger and larger pieces of the Intricate
Gather Gown egg flake off, until they're lying in piles around the
base of the dragonet that was hidden inside of the shell. The new
life shakes itself and with rapidly drying wings flapping slightly,
pushes itself out into the raging blizzard to search for ...
something. Something its instincts tell it are out there but not
immediately evident.
Snow-Covered Mountain Hatchling
With an exuberant bugle, this little dragonet bursts out of its
shell--and into an obscuring cloud of mist. Like a thick blanket of
snow over the Telgar Ranges, only a hint is given of the strength
that lies underneath. A gust of snow from the blizzard outside makes
it doubly hard to discern its color, but perceptive eyes can see the
compact, lithe proportions of this young one's body. Sounding an
almost tentative bugle, receiving a reassuring rumble from dam and
sire, the dragonet begins its quest across the sands.
From the hatching sands, Nicoli shivers even as she hops from foot
to foot, "Oh I wish I could /see/." she tells her friends anxiously.
E'ryn has arrived.
From the hatching sands, Medei runs his hand through snow/steam damp
hair, alternately shivering at the cold and sweating at the heat.
"Faranth, they're cracking all over the place!"
From the hatching sands, Medrel mutters, "We're fine" only to be
echoed by his younger sibling...Myklan shifts away from his brother
and closer to the waivery figure that is Isain.
From the hatching sands, Lake-frost and Ice Hatchling gets
sidetracked by another egg, doggedly climbing over it to get at what
it wants. This time the creel is forceful. One candidate is reached,
and here the dragonette pauses, but quickly moves on when it
discovers that's just not the right one.
From the hatching sands, Malent nearly jumps seeing a sudden
movement near them, "Shells! Did you see that?!"
Ofira walks in from outside the room.
From the hatching sands, Alnar is not too far from Myklan, and he
looks excited despite his earlier, blase' attitude. Like someone
convinced already of the outcome.
From the hatching sands, Snow-Covered Mountain Hatchling lets out a
winding shrill creel.
From the hatching sands, Ariat chuckles, "Another bugle? Another
hatchling?" she says, enxcitement in her eyes as she echoes Nicoli's
statement adn nods to Malent, "Aye, though I do wish I could see
better."
From the hatching sands, Kindre's face squishes up a bit. "Shards,
that's a noisy one!"
Terrilia smiles sympathetically. "I heard that!"
From the hatching sands, Tania peers around again. "I heard another
one..." she murmers, and flinches as she hears that one's creel.
Tuxi has disconnected.
From the hatching sands, Jennifer might not be seen through the
haze, but her head is cocked to one side, listning, "oh shards listen
to /that/! " She shivers slightly as a chill chases down her spine.
"That sounds awful."
From the hatching sands, Isain rubs his eyes, as if that would help
him any. "Good. ...-That's- loud. About as loud as Jenn, wherever she
is."
Arden gives a wave to the CraftMaster from aside the huddling
apprentices.
From the hatching sands, Liadan's eyes follow Ceria and her lifemate
for a long time after the last swirls of fog close over the
tantalizing bit of dark clarity. Fingers close more tightly on that
enigmatic rock and her marble-hard gaze turns back to the sands,
half-hooding in response to the creel.
From the hatching sands, Javinar winces, trying to reach up to cover
his ears. As his hands are occupied by those to either side of him,
it doesn't work.
Kyliven rubs at her nose, intently leaning forward as though to
pierce the fog by sheer willforce alone. "I think my nose is going to
fall off after this is over."
From the hatching sands, Arallia stations herself next to Lys, since
she can actually see her, and just watches the cloud, mist, snow
enshrouded candidates. With a frown she just mutters, "Shells, what a
great time for a snow storm."
From the hatching sands, Nicoli shakes her head slightly, "One of
them has a good set of lungs anyways." she tells them, straining her
eyes to try and see. "Where are they?"
From the hatching sands, Daniel peers through the mist, squinting a
bit in an attempt to spot the hathclings. He can hear them, but not
see them. He starts hopping from foot to foot, then stops and resumes
his rocking, toes-to-heels, toes-to-heels.
From the hatching sands, Arion winces, rubbing the back of his neck
as he glances all about. " They're loud," he mutters. Of course, this
is a good thing. It allows for warning. " Where /are/ they?" An
actual shiver rocks his form, despite the volcanic sands at his feet.
From the hatching sands, Alessandra whirls at the sound of yet
another egg cracking, then again as she catches sight of the Ice
dragonet heading off away from a candidate. "I hate not being able to
see..." Thank you miss obvious. A shiver wracks her frame at those
awful creels, the girl uselessly shaking her head.
From the hatching sands, "It could be worse," Alyssa murmurs to
Arallia, though she has to add more quietly, "How, I don't know."
Alinora has disconnected.
Jasmyn ties her scarf around her forehead face, expertly leaving
just a small slit for her eyes, and peers down at the sands.
From the hatching sands, The steam created by the melting
precipitation begins to build, thickening when it cannot escape,
driven back from the opening of the cavern by the blizzard's roaring
gusts. Soon, everything becomes faintly obscured, as if hidden behind
a translucent drape of finest linen. The far side of the hatching
sands can no longer be made out, even by the keenest of eyes.
From the hatching sands, Snow-Covered Mountain Hatchling slinks
between billows of fog and steam, searching... and creeling... and
creeling.
From the hatching sands, A tart retort to Isain rings over the foggy
hatching cavern, "Hey, I heard that! What do you know anyway?"
Jennifer just has to get a word in about -that-.
From the hatching sands, Medei rocks back and forth on his feet,
trying to get some relief to them, as a cloud of steam washes over
his face. "Lovely, just lovely," he mumbles.
Mirval squints and says, after a while, "I think that newest one's
another brown."
From the hatching sands, Keagan's robe is whipped about as the wind
whips by him. He clutches it, then turns with his back to shield
himself, still keeping an eye on the eggs and hatchlings.
From the hatching sands, Malent hip hops in his feet as he keeps
trying to see and not let go of his fellow candidates, "I sure can
hear one out there.'
From the hatching sands, Daniel slaps his hands against his hips,
muttering nervously "I wish I could /see/ them..." to himself. Every
time he hears an egg shatter, or a hatchling call, his head turns
towards the sound, constantly seeking.
From the hatching sands, Lake-frost and Ice Hatchling nerly barrels
through another poor, unseeing candidate as he spies out of the
covering snow and mist exactly what he wants. The cerulean blue glint
of his hide is visable as he stops in front of Jennifer.
From the hatching sands, Leya groans "It's getting worse" she says.
"I'm all disoriented...the noises are echoing all over...I can't tell
where they are" she says, glancing at Nicoli.
From the hatching sands, Jehrina shakes her head, then leans over
towards Nimiriel. "If we don't have more then a few injuries, I'll be
quite surprised."
Kyliven leans even farther forward at a half-recognized voice.
"Mirval? Mirval!" She waves to catch the lad's attention. "Did I tell
you what I'd named my little blue lizard?"
*> From the hatching sands, Determinedly now, Igen's Rim Rock Egg
rocks back and forth, the faint squelching sounds of its movement in
the muddy sands increasingly louder.
From the hatching sands, Nimiriel sighs quietly, nodding at Jehrina,
"I agree. Hoping for the best, but... I can't believe this weather."
From the hatching sands, "One?" Javinar shakes his head. "More than
that out there, from the sound of the crac..." He trails off,
blinking at the blue dragonet near Jenn.
From the hatching sands, Alessandra snickers lightly, then shudders
again. Searching eyes seek and find the Mountain Hatchling, unable to
see it clearly, only able to hear it creeling like it's
clutchmate... "Jenn. Jenn. Jenn!" Her hand is released, purple-eyed
lass stepping closer to Javinar as the Ice hatchling makes his
choice.
From the hatching sands, Snow-Covered Mountain Hatchling's creel
slowly lessens into a croon. A searching croon, as if it was calling
to someone... still slipping between puffs of fog, it stays
relatively cloaked.
Ofira slips in next to Arden and Dendra, "What did I miss?" she
murmurs to them, smoothing her gown as she makes her way into the
galleries.
From the hatching sands, "It doesn't seem to be affecting the
hatchlings and Impressions," Kindre calls to Nimiriel. "That's a
blessing at least."
Mirval turns his head to find Kyliven, or try to. "No," he calls
back. "What'd you call him?"
*> From the hatching sands, Yellowed Ivory Egg spins outrageously
and nauseatingly.
From the hatching sands, Isain's grin fairly takes over his face.
"-There- you are," he shouts back, and then hearing all the whispers
of his friend and her hatchling, goes silent.
From the hatching sands, Jehrina grins at the younger woman,
"Welcome to Telgar, dear. There's no place like home."
Arden says "A lot of snow, Ofira. And a few impressions. Including
that one girl, uhm, Ceria, I think."
From the hatching sands, A'lex chuckles, "That's the truth..."
From the hatching sands, Nicoli squeezes Leya's hand in empathy, her
own hands white from nlood loss. She catches sight of blue hide,
eyes widening. "Did Jenn impress??" she asks.
From the hatching sands, Malent can barely make out the blue, "I see
it!"
Dendra nods! "She Impressed a brown, didn't she Zelig?"
From the hatching sands, Arion lifts his head, hearing the quiet
chant of Jenn's name. " Jenn?" he asks softly. " Did Jenn Impress?"
Eyes dart for the source of the croon, all the while as he listens
for confirmation.
From the hatching sands, Tania sees a blue hide... near...
someone... Jenn? "Jenn?!" she smiles, then flinches again as she
hears the creel and croon off from somewhere.
From the hatching sands, Liadan's brows draw downwards over her
fierce gaze as her hearing is distorted by echoes, by fog...but the
wind's wild whistling draws her into pleasure as she lifts her face
to it, exulting in it as her hair is whipped about. Gone fey, she
has, and her low chuckle is surprising to hear after her reticence.
Jennifer is ignored. The storm holds her attention now.
*> From the hatching sands, Crystalline Polar Starlight Egg
twitches, a light dusting of snow wafting from its top as the ovoid
slips a few fingerlengths deeper into the damp, shifting grains of
sand below it. A muffled tapping noise from inside the shell can
barely be heard through the raging storm.
Zelig murmmers, almost too himself. "Not much with this mess." Eyes
peer. "I think that was it's colour, yes."
Kyliven broadly points to the blue curled next to her neck. "Jaeven!
Just like you suggested! OOOH, look at that /blue/!" Easily
distracted, we are.
From the hatching sands, Ariat sighs and brushes off her shoulders
and head while shifting her feet, doing the time honored dance of the
sands, "Shells! Is it me or is this steam getting worse?" she asks
to no one in particular as she suddenly notices the blue near
Jennifer, her eyes wide, "Is that you Jenn?" she calls.
Ofira nods, glancing at the snow piling up around them. "Not the
best of weather for this...Ceria? Are you sure? Oh dear - good for
her I know...still..." She turns back to squint at the proceedings.
"Hard to see."
From the hatching sands, here's a loud scream that rips through the
cavern rather suddenly as the hidden candidate finds him/herself run
down upon, but then the sound is cut short in a gulp and there's a
rather rining " Jaereth don't /DO/ that to me! I though you were
going to run right over me."
From the hatching sands, Alyssa looks toward Jennifer and the
handsome cerulean blue, smiling cheerfully. "It looks like that
fellow's picked," she remarks to Arallia before heading toward
Jennifer and her new lifemate.
From the hatching sands, Condensation begins to form, causing a
thin, sticky film to form on everything. Faint trickles of liquid
begin to slink down the walls and sizzle back into steam when they
hit the hot sands. Warm stone becomes slippery with the wetness, and
flesh becomes sticky. Outside, the storm rages on, sending a near
perpetual shower of miniscule flakes into the grounds to add to the
thick foggy air.
From the hatching sands, Snow-Covered Mountain Hatchling's croon
rises and falls almost seductively as it slinks around the sands in
hunt of a lifemate.
From the hatching sands, Igen's Rim Rock Egg has arrived.
Mirval mutters, to Jasmyn, "I told her to call a son by her and J'on
Jaeven, but hey, whatever works."
From the hatching sands, Teetering much like an unbalanced rock
sitting atop a mountain's peak, the Igen's Rim Rock Egg suddenly
begins wobbling back and forth. Leaning far enough to fall onto its
side, it appears the occupant did not expect that; the ovoid begins
to roll frantically towards the Candidates but catches on a bump of
sand. Crumbling sounds can be heard, but no visible lines yet show on
the egg. Then it lifts, feet and claws all that is discernible
before the hatchling finally shrugs the broken encasement off itself.
Sack-Cloth and Sail Hatchling
The storm's incessant pounding obscures this hatchling behind a
flurry of snow, like sack-cloth or the sail of a wind-ship. All that
can be seen is the turn of a refined head and the hesitant and
tentative step of an unsure and guileless child. Acute, perceptive
lines define a frame that may someday be most capable, competent, and
confident but for now lacks any such inclination.
*> From the hatching sands, Lemon Meringue Pie Egg lays there a long
moment before again giving a shudder and a bump, causing the yellow
streaked egg to ramble again this time towards its steam cloaked dam.
Its clear the current inhabitant is determined to depart from its
now much too small home.
From the hatching sands, Arallia chuckles faintly as she watches Lys
help herd more pairs off of the sands.
From the hatching sands, Leya grins as Jenn's voice reaches her ears
"It must be!" she tells Nic. "Jaereth? That blue?"
Arden nods to Ofira. "I've lost count, really, at all that the
Craft's lost to the beasts. We'll make do, though. We always do."
From the hatching sands, Malent grins, "Jen got him? good for her."
From the hatching sands, Nicoli grins as it appears that indeed Jenn
impressed. "Yay Jenn!" she shouts, soprano ringing and hopefully
reaching her friend. "Shards, but this mist is getting worse." she
notes. "Did another just hatch?" wonders the seamstress.
Ofira nods to Arden, still squinting as she watches, "I know...but
still...a journeyman! And Keara was well on her way...are any of them
showing interest in her?"
From the hatching sands, Daniel wipes his hands across his hair,
sticking it even more firmly to his skull. Hearing the chant of
Jennifer's name, he turns to look for her, then jumps halfway out of
his robe at the scream. Hearing what comes after, though, he smiles a
bit and tries to pick out Jennifer among the mist shrouded figures.
From the hatching sands, A'lex grins and applauds, "All right
Jennifer..."
From the hatching sands, Jaereth lifts his head, crooning now,
instead of creeling. Wings are still swept back, but now they come
around to shield Jennifer from the onslaught of the storm.
From the hatching sands, Isain, now that that particular taloned
beast is taken care of, stares through the mist to try and spot the
others.
Malia frowns as the atmosphere inside the caverns just gets worse.
"This is unacceptable" she mutters to the poor journeyman at her
side...the younger girl just nods and murmers something in response
to the craftmaster.
From the hatching sands, Alessandra just grins at Jennifer, head
canting to the side a bit as she hears a scratch in the area of where
she last saw the Crystalline Polar Starlight egg. The Mountain
hatchling's creeling is heard again, and worried eyes follow the
obscured form that she can barely see. Then the crack of another egg
is heard... "I don't know where to look or listen," she murmurs to
Javinar before catching Jenn's blue's name. "Jaereth. That's a
handsome name," she quietly offers to her dear friend.
From the hatching sands, Arion blinks quietly. " Jaereth? Blue?" He
peeks around, spying candie and dragonet in the mist. " Congrats!"
Two friends down... how many to go? Fingers stretch out, clutching
hesitently at Malent as another cracking egg is heard.
From the hatching sands, Ariat smiles, "Jaereth...that's a good name
for a blue, if I heard right." she sighs as she hears Nicoli, "It's
getting a -lot- worse..I think my robes become a part of me." she
grins wryly.
Dendra says, "I haven't seen her, but it's hard to see anything in
all this fog and snow. She's out there, somewhere."
From the hatching sands, Sack-Cloth and Sail Hatchling moves almost
delicately through the steaming mists--avoiding shards and humans
with equal tentative care. Pausing once, it stops to survey its
surroundings and then moves on, steps coming more quickly and surely.
From the hatching sands, Lanryi shifts her feet around and tries to
see Jennifer to see if she really did impress, but has to move aside
quickly as a determined hatchling moves past her.
From the hatching sands, Jennifer hugs herself in close to Jaereth,
pressing her face against the soft blue hide, "OH, you are
wonderful." tear-misty eyes don't notice anything but her new
lifemate, to the point that she almost doesn't see where she's being
lead from the sands.
From the hatching sands, Snow-Covered Mountain Hatchling darts
quickly between two other whisps of fog, then finally, almost
unbelievably out into an open patch where her green hide is revealed
to all and sundry. She looks about, amazed at the clarity with which
she now can see the One for her.
From the hatching sands, Keagan raises a fist into the air,
grinning. "Way to go, Jennifer!" Another egg grabs his attention now,
eyes flickering to each one.
From the hatching sands, Medei breathes, "Jennifer! Oh, shells,
that's just..." He seems stunned, and he looks away for a moment and
grins blankly at Isain. "This is *nothing* like I was prepared for."
Arden grins to Ofira. "I was a lowly apprentice when I fended off
that Bronze hatchling on the Igen sands, you know."
From the hatching sands, "Jennifer, let's get you and Jaereth off
the sands and somewhere he can get some food," Alyssa murmurs,
leading the girl and her handsome blue toward the barracks.
From the hatching sands, Malent wows, "Look at her, thats who we heard."
From the hatching sands, Jennifer nods to Alyssa, loath to let go of
her lifemate as she makes her way off. "Uh, ok"
*> From the hatching sands, Lemon Meringue Pie Egg hasn't gone that
far from its original starting point before stopping. It tips upwards
so it is upright again, standing on its wide bottomed end. Tiny
cracks marr the fragile egg. Delicate yellow shards flecking away.
Ofira pats Arden on the arm, familiar with the old story, "I know,"
she says fondly, "And we're glad you did."
From the hatching sands, Daniel grips the front of his robe in his
hands and flaps it in an attempt to peel it from his skin. Shifting
from foot to foot, he quickly shakes his head, sending his hair
sticking out in every direction, which he quickly smooths back down.
From the hatching sands, Sionelle has arrived.
From the hatching sands, Ariat hmms, "I don't know -how- they can
see through all this.." she stops as she catches sight of the green
hatchling, "She's got quite a voice that one has." she grins.
From the hatching sands, Arion's head snaps around at the glint of
green. " Really," he murmurs to Malent. " Now that's a dragon."
From the hatching sands, Javinar nods, grinning irrepressibly. "Told
her she'd do it," he notes smugly to Alessandra. "Now she'll never
worry about not having a friend again. Hmmm?" That last comment goes
to Malent, and his gaze follows the other lad's.
From the hatching sands, Leya pulls at Nicoli's hand "Look...that
green! We finally see one of the dragonets!"
From the hatching sands, Jennifer heads off towards the bowl on the
way to the weyrling barracks.
From the hatching sands, Alyssa chuckles quietly. "He's not going
anywhere, Jennifer. He'll be with you for a long time to come. Let's
go, now..."
From the hatching sands, Nicoli shakes her head slightly, "I'm glad
for her." she says quietly, then opens her eyes as she sees the
green. "It's beautiful!" she exclaims.
From the hatching sands, Alessandra clutches Javinar's hand tightly
as she watches the Mountain hatchling choose her lifemate, a tremble
in her heart as she spies a flash of green. "What a beauty..."
From the hatching sands, Jaereth heads off towards the bowl on the
way to the weyrling barracks.
From the hatching sands, Tania ohs soflty as she finally spots a
dragonet. "Green..." she whispers.
From the hatching sands, Jehrina grins again, "Good choices. Good
choices, definitely."
From the hatching sands, "Jaereth. Jaereth. Jaereth. /Jaereth/." The
litany starts out thoughtful, but builds to an excitedly shrill
trill as Jaethine bounces once more, tugging on Nicoli's robe.
"Sounds just like my name! Well, almost just like mine. D'you think
she made a mistake and was supposed to come to me? And there's a
green! A green! A green! A green..." She trails off as she awaits a
movement, an announcement, /something/.
From the hatching sands, Nimiriel squeezes N'var's hand again,
unable to hide her excitement. She grins at Jehrina, nodding,
"They're wonderful. They're all just wonderful."
Arden grins to Ofira. "Indeed." He opens up his pouch. "I'm prepared
today, too, if things get out of hand."
From the hatching sands, Arallia's own expression softens as she
catches sight of the green hide. Nope that expression has nothing to
do with the fact that her own lifemate is *green*.
From the hatching sands, Kindre nods approvingly at the pairing of
Jennifer and Jaereth, noting to A'lex, "She'll do well by her
lifemate, I bet. Daelyth's offspring are choosing wisely." A wink at
Nimiriel goes with, "As we knew they would!"
From the hatching sands, A'lex says "Of course... they all will."
From the hatching sands, J'var apparently chose the right moment to
look. His jaw drops in stunned disbelief, and he shakes his hands
loose to reach out to caress the green muzzle with trembling hands.
"She says her name is Miseth!"
Ofira hmms distractedly at Arden, "Prepared?"
From the hatching sands, Sack-Cloth and Sail Hatchling stumbles over
a half-hidden shell that lies buried in a pool of mud. Flailing its
wings, it falls into the pool...only to rise out covered in thick
mud. Sneezing once, the mudsplattered creature shakes itself
violently--and sends mud everywhere.
From the hatching sands, The sands become almost completely
obscured, the haze only parting occasionally to allow the shape of a
newly matched pair to be seen, though the frightened creels of the
newborn dragons and the joyful shouts of their lifemates are eerily
well heard.
From the hatching sands, A'lex grins, "Well done J'var!"
From the hatching sands, Daniel hears the cries of 'A green' and
tries to spot the hatchling. Waving a hand in front of his face, he
blinks and tries to focus farther than a foot in front of his nose.
From the hatching sands, N'var seems to have forgotten the storm, as
hard as that may be to believe. He grins at Nimiriel and chuckles at
the latest dragon to arive.
From the hatching sands, Lemon Meringue Pie Egg has arrived.
From the hatching sands, Nicoli giggles at Jaethine. "Indeed, it's a
green, and I think she chose right my friend.." she trails off as
she realizes who it is. "Alright J'var!!" she shouts. "Javinar with a
green.." she murmurs..
From the hatching sands, Abruptly, the Lemon Meringue Pie Egg starts
tipping itself back and forth. The small, rounded top of the ovoid
visibly expands, its occupant apparently preferring to come out on
top. Two forelimbs escape the fluff-hued shard causing the rest of
the egg to fall flat around it, like a Baker's failed souffle. Amidst
the collapsed oval, shrouded by clouds of mist and snow, sits a new
Telgar Hatchling.
Storm Cloud Shrouded Hatchling
After the explosive splintering of its shell, this newest dragonet
finds itself amidst a thick shroud of mist and snow. Its form is
barely discernable through the swirls of clouded air which eddy
about, and the movement from within gives the impression of storm
clouds gathering on the horizon. Like those storm clouds, this
shimmering grey mass rests silent on the sands as if collecting its
strength. Then, without warning, the storm strikes, and the mass of
clouds sweeps toward its target.
From the hatching sands, Myklan gawps openly at Javinar...now
J'var...for any that can actually /see/ him gawping...thankfully, the
steam and ice combined prefent that.
Arden nods and pulls out his well-worn wooden spoon from the pouch.
From the hatching sands, Jehrina groans theatrically. "J'var? A
green. Oh my. That's going to be uhm... interesting."
From the hatching sands, Tania blinks... Javinar? No... J'av? "Oh
my... Green, congrats!"
From the hatching sands, " Jav?" Arion's jaw drops in absolute
amazement. Then.. something... enters his voice as he calls out, "
Congratulations!" Just a moment after, mud slicks across his chest. "
Hey!"
From the hatching sands, Sionelle steps onto the sands and into the
mist, a soft piece of blasphemy escaping her lips as she passes
Alyssa and the newly hatched dragonet. She squints toward what she
can see of the hatching, one hand automatically wiping at her eyes
against the damp and the foggy vision. As she does, J'var's
disbelieving smile appears in an eddy of clear air, and she starts
toward him, one hand reaching for his shoulder.
From the hatching sands, Nimiriel closes her eyes and shakes her
head, "Oh, Daelyth... what /have/ we done?"
From the hatching sands, Isain stands on his toes, "Can you see,
Myk? Medei? Can you see? I heard Jav, but I can't -see-...."
From the hatching sands, Alyssa returns in time to see Javinar
Impress...and Impress a -green-??? Her mouth drops open a bit, and
she says, quietly, "Oh, Faranth's feet...."
"How am I supposed to know which of my apprentices I'm losing" Malia
grumbles...as if her complaints will clear up the cavern. The
journeyman at her side just rolls her eyes...where the craftmaster
can't see of course.
From the hatching sands, Myklan rumbles quietly, "I can't see
/anything/....except Medrel...he's hopin up and down like an
idiot...."
From the hatching sands, Alessandra steps away from
Javinar--J'var--eyes bright with glee. "JAV!" she cries out, clasping
her hands delightedly in front of her. She stands alone now,
grinning like mad as she bounces on her toes.
From the hatching sands, Ariat 's jaw drop as she hears Javin..no
J'var's annoucement of his lifemate's name and smiles shrugging,
"Never would have guessed Jav!" she calls, the smile still on her
face, "Oh I wish I could see better!"
From the hatching sands, Medei shuffles back and forth in his hollow
in the sand and shakes his head. "I hear you... I can't see, though.
I can't see *anything*."
From the hatching sands, Malent starts to laugh, "Jav, a greenrider!"
Ofira looks at the spoon oddly and then gives Malia a sympathetic
nod as she overhears. "I know just what you mean," she says grimly,
looking back at the snow covered scene.
From the hatching sands, Snow-Covered Mountain Hatchling nudges
J'var with her still damp head.
From the hatching sands, Keagan waves to J'var than chuckles.
"Congrats, Javinar!"
From the hatching sands, Nicoli giggles wildly, "Jav's a green!" she
exclaims again in disbelief, then says, "Did another hatch?" She's
got good ears apparently.
From the hatching sands, Miseth apparently wants some dinner.
From the hatching sands, Arallia's own jaw drops as she just stares
once she's realized who impressed to what color, "Faranth..Jays,
shells.." She just swears softly before she clamps her mouth shut,
for fear of looking too much like a fish.
From the hatching sands, Lanryi grins and calls, "Congrats J'var!"
From the hatching sands, Daniel yelps and jumps back as mud
splatters across him. After a quick swipe at the splat, he spots
J'var and his new partner. Waving enthusiastically, he calls out
"Congratulations, Jav!"
Janine grins. "A green made another great choice. Well, done, J'var"
she murmers.
From the hatching sands, Jehrina shakes her head a bit, "Oh my. I
don't know which one of them to ... well."
From the hatching sands, J'var looks up to see Sionelle, his grin
returning. "Oh! Right. C'mon, Miseth. Yes, yes, I'm yours, no
worries."
From the hatching sands, There is a warble of pure elation at being
free from the shell. The note from the Storm Cloud Shrouded Hatchling
changes to dismay abruptly, the pitch becoming more dissonant.
Someone is supposed to be here. So where are they? Rising steam and
falling snow obscure the dragonet's trail as soft new talons and wet
wingsails begin to move towards figures that are draped in white and
veiled by the unseasonable weather.
From the hatching sands, Oblivious of all else but the subliminal
song of the storm, Liadan twists, neck craning as she seeks the
source. A brush of cooler air whispers past one bare shoulder, and
the huntress latches onto it, tracing it back as she works her way
towards the entrance. About a dragonlength away, she pauses,
revelling in the storm's fury, face still lifted to it.
From the hatching sands, Isain mutters, "Siddown, Med," and waves
after J'var, after Miseth.
From the hatching sands, Sack-Cloth and Sail Hatchling shakes a last
time, then stops. Lifting his finely boned head once more, he stares
a long moment at a tall sandy haired youth. Rumbling excitedly, he
strides for the young man, his movements shaking the thick mud from
his hide to reveal a rich bronze shade.
Jasmyn beams at the new pair, and blinks,trying to /see/.
From the hatching sands, Kindre cannot help chuckling aloud as she
realizes that Javinar has Impressed to a fine-looking green, and she
comments aloud, "Oh, Maylia's going to have her hands full with that
one."
Malia catches Ofira's eye, her own suddenly sparkling with
amusement. She merely grins at Ofira before looking back toward the
misty sands.
From the hatching sands, " Bronze," Arion murmurs, gesturing towards
the hatchling seen nearby. Not as interested, his gaze drops away,
seeking out the other nearby hatchlings.
From the hatching sands, Tania simply chuckles, shifting from foot
to foot again as she tries to see more hatchlings.
From the hatching sands, Miseth heads off towards the bowl on the
way to the weyrling barracks.
From the hatching sands, Ariat raises her eyebrows as she sight's
the bronze, "He's a handsome fellow...welll as much of him as I could
see." she chuckles.
From the hatching sands, Alessandra whirls again in her spot, almost
like a top as she watches first the glimpses she can see of the
Shrouded hatchling, then the Sail hatchling as he is revealed as
bronze. "Handsome," she murmurs, straining to see who he has chosen.
From the hatching sands, Nicoli catches sight of bronze, "Is that a
bronze?" she asks in curiousity, trying to make it out.
From the hatching sands, J'var blinks down at the green. "Hungry!
That's m'girl!" He moves off after Sionelle, trying to help the green
along.
From the hatching sands, Approvingly, Kindre calls to N'var and
Nimiriel, "That's a good-looking bronze I see out there..."
From the hatching sands, J'var heads off towards the bowl on the way
to the weyrling barracks.
Tuxi has connected.
From the hatching sands, Jehrina peers across the sands, "Did I hear
bronze?"
From the hatching sands, "I think so!" Leya answers in a sharp
whisper...her eyes following the misty bronze form.
Dendra touches Zelig's arm and says, "Did you hear that? Someone
said there's a bronze out there!"
From the hatching sands, Myklan is busy staring into the haze as
much as anyone...but his attention seems to have vanished into a
particular patch of steam that's gazing up at him with bright violet
eyes. Nothing is said at all...
From the hatching sands, Again there is a lost bleat of confusion,
the Storm Cloud Shrouded Hatchling finds itself pressed to another
hatchling. No. That's not right. Not at all. With a snort, again the
hatchling presses on towards the figures standing in a cluster. The
motions of the steam are the only indication that this dragonet has
moved.
From the hatching sands, N'var chuckles quietly at J'var's
impression. He turns his head just in time to see the larger
hatchling "It is a bronze."
Zelig nods rapidly. "I think I glimpsed him..."
From the hatching sands, Jehrina nods, squinting. Not that this
helps her see any better.
From the hatching sands, Nimiriel lets out a huge breath, "Bronze.
Oh, it /is/ bronze. And is that... Myklan he's standing in front of?"
Her hands tighten on N'var's arm.
From the hatching sands, Isain could prod Myklan, standing that
close; he could ask, could even try demand a name, but he only wishes
a soft, "Good luck."
From the hatching sands, Malent blinks seeing the bronze his eyes
try to focus through the haze.
From the hatching sands, Nicoli blinks. "Myk?" she asks
questioningly, unsure if she's right. "Sharding fog. can't see
anything.."
From the hatching sands, Alyssa's mouth drops open. "Is that bronze
looking at Myklan?" And is that the quiet Alyssa actually sounded
excited about something??
From the hatching sands, Arion's fingers tighten into fists. "
Myklan?" he asks hopefully. No, not a hint of anger... merely wishful
thinking. " Is it Myk?"
From the hatching sands, N'var blinks through the snow, "Myklan??"
he asks, stepping forward.
From the hatching sands, Tania looks at Nic. "Did you say Myk?" she
peers through the fog. "To... bronze?"
From the hatching sands, Sionelle turns J'var around with a steady
grip on his shoulders, pointing him toward the barracks. "Off you go
now, to get her some dinner. You might feel hungry, but it's actually
Miseth. You'll need to pay attention to that now..." Her advice,
didactic as usual, fades off into the mist for a moment, as she
escorts the pair to their new home.
From the hatching sands, M'kon doesn't notice Isain's nudge. It
might as well be a fly smacking into the side of the Bowl wall. It
takes something from inside, apparently to prod the big ox into
motion. "Right..." it's throaty whisper. "Nioth...right..."
Janine bounces! "Yay Mykkie!
From the hatching sands, Jaethine confirms for all. "MYKLAN!" the
lass sings out brightly. "It /is/ Myklan!"
From the hatching sands, Alessandra just watches as Myklan is
chosen, eyes dancing with delight before they're dragged towards the
area where she'd heard the Shrouded Hatchling bleating. "Poor
thing..." Her congratulations are called jubilantly towards Myklan,
though she remains where she is: alone, now that her handholders have
both Impressed.
From the hatching sands, Storm Cloud Shrouded Hatchling pauses for a
moment. The snow and shadows masking the still form of the dragonet.
Someone is near. Someone right. The disonnance of the hatchling's
tone turns to bright hope. Maybe? Yes! Through the steam and snow it
pushes the way towards the candidates, moving with all the suddeness
of a storm off the mountains.
Jasmyn cheers!
From the hatching sands, Nicoli grins from ear to ear. "MYK!!" She
shouts in elation, eyes dancing.
From the hatching sands, Ariat tries to wave the steam away from her
face, but only succeeds in causing the wetness on her skin to drip
to the sands causing re steam. She looks up as she hears Myklan, no,
now M'kon as her annoucnes his lifemate's name, she calls a happy
congrats to the new pair.
From the hatching sands, Nioth rumbles excitedly at his lifemate,
his clawed feet lifting with excitement as he pushes into the tall
lad's chest.
From the hatching sands, With long-legged strides, Alyssa heads
toward Myklan, her smile too bright for words, as if her own son had
just Impressed. "Well, goodness, I think you and Nioth need to come
with me, bronzerider," she notes as she reaches the pairing. Her eyes
are bright and shiny. "Come on, lad..."
From the hatching sands, Crystalline Polar Starlight Egg has arrived.
From the hatching sands, Fretfully, Dinaria gives an effective touch
to her hair, peering blindly into the mist. "Where's my queen?" she
mutters under her breath. "Where's my goldy-gold?" Finally, she
stamps one tiny foot. "Scorch this stupid fog!" her wail sounds
through the steam.
From the hatching sands, "Myk!" Tania calls as her question is
confirmed.
From the hatching sands, Jehrina's expression turns positively
gleeful, "Oh, how..." Are those tears in her eyes? Can't be. Just the
snow sticking to her face, surely.
From the hatching sands, The Crystalline Polar Starlight Egg begins
to reverberate with motion. Its steady rocking, at first, serves only
to bury it into a little cubby on the warm sands. A few more
determined moves by its occupant, however, and the egg begins to show
signs of wear. Soon the face looks like a winter welkin; cracks that
look like stars exploding across a cold night dance across it. Soon
those imagined stars fall, pieces of shell peeling free to reveal the
Bleached Wherry Bone Hatchling.
Bleached Wherry Bone Hatchling
A flurry of wind and snow from the storm pale any clear image of the
newly hatched dragonet, leaving instead only a sheer veil, the color
of a sun-bleached wherry's bone, through which to catch a glimpse.
Whatever it is, it is quick, decisive, and deft for a newborn, its
movements almost predatory.
From the hatching sands, Arion eyes the swirling fog warily, even as
he shouts out his congratulations to his friend. Another hatchling's
gotta be around here somewhere...
From the hatching sands, Kindre smiles, though perhaps not quite as
widely as the rest, and to A'lex she murmurs, "I wish M'kla could
have seen that...what a sight!"
From the hatching sands, Medei stares openly as Myklan, now M'kon,
Impresses. "Isain... Nioth? Is that what he said?"
From the hatching sands, M'kon meets the young bronze's lift with a
pair of open, thick arms, for a hug...pity no one can capture that
imagine. Alyssa isn't noticed at first...or second...but he comes
around eventually. "Right...Nioth," is said intelligently, "Something
to eat...." He makes the youngster put his forefeet down on the
ground again.
From the hatching sands, Palineth's booming voice drowns out the
storm as he trumpets to his newest son, Nioth.
From the hatching sands, Lanryi shifts her feet and smooths out her
robe, "Congrats M'kon!"
From the hatching sands, Daniel scrubs at his eyes and blinks out
into the fog, trying desperatly to /see/ something, anything at all.
From the hatching sands, Daelyth lets out a loud, almost piercing
warble as Nioth and M'kon find each other on the sands.
Julanna has arrived.
From the hatching sands, Nicoli sighs happily, so many of her
friends Impressing. She clenches her friend's hands tighter, still
doing that little shift, shiver, shift, shiver deal..
From the hatching sands, Alyssa places her hand on M'kon's arm and
guides him toward the barracks. She cannot stop grinning.
From the hatching sands, Malent lifts up each foot, trying not to
let the sands get to him.
From the hatching sands, Ariat looks up from trying to do pull her
robe from her body as she hears the hatching of another egg, she's
still game though, and still has a smile on her face.
From the hatching sands, M'kon turns, and almost trips...gets his
feet...and follows after Alyssa like a headwound victim.
From the hatching sands, N'var nearly jumps, "It is! Myk!"
From the hatching sands, M'kon heads off towards the bowl on the way
to the weyrling barracks.
From the hatching sands, Nioth heads off towards the bowl on the way
to the weyrling barracks.
From the hatching sands, Alyssa heads off towards the bowl on the
way to the weyrling barracks.
From the hatching sands, Arallia smiles to Alyssa and M'kon, when
they pass her and just well, keeps on smiling.
From the hatching sands, Isain murmurs, "I think so, Medei. I think
so. Easy to pronounce, too, if I heard it right. I - now we have to
watch out for the others. Have to listen."
Jasmyn waves at what she thinks is Julanna, in the fog, and waves
her over.
From the hatching sands, Yes! Yes! Yes! The dragonet halts itself
before the candidate. Perfect perfect. With a triumphant bugle, the
Storm Cloud Shrouded Hatchling presses itself to the white clad
candidate. Wings flutter and spread the mist just enough to allow a
display of the brown hatchling trying to nestle himself into a small
holder girl with tawny colored skin.
From the hatching sands, Alessandra whirls again, spinning quickly
as the Starlight egg hatches into the Bone Hatchling. At least, what
she can see of it. Heart catches in her throat as she realizes it was
"her" favorite egg that just hatched... Can she dare hope? Perhaps.
Empty hands reach out and find... nothing? She really is standing
alone, away from the cluster of candidates...
From the hatching sands, Keagan watches the pair leave, nodding his
head and grinning widely. "A good pair!" he comments, brushing some
snow off his nose.
From the hatching sands, Tania smiles at Nic and squeezes her hand
tightly. "So many friends..." she whispers happily.
From the hatching sands, Bleached Wherry Bone Hatchling shivers out
of its shell with a sudden burst of energy, scattering moist sand
over everything nearby. What's visible of hatchling seems to indicate
the dragonet relishes the nasty weather, as the blurry vision of the
youngster seems to dash across the sands then come to a skidding
halt.
*> From the hatching sands, Yellowed Ivory Egg wobbles something
FIERCE and seems to be about to burst, settling down slightly.
From the hatching sands, Medei, still shaken *and* shaking, peers
dazedly across the misty sands, clenching his robe in his fists.
From the hatching sands, Daniel spots movement, but can't see what
made it, "Blasted fog." he mutters, wiping some sweat from his face
with a slightly shaking hand.
From the hatching sands, Arion's fingers clench tightly as he stares
into the swirling air, trying to discern just what is happening. He
catches the flash of brown, but not who the hatchling found.
From the hatching sands, Nicoli stumbles back, eyes wide as she
stares at the brown. Her brown. "Cerineth! His name is Cerineth!!"
she whispers tenderly. "I know hon, I know, we'll get you food soon."
she says soothingly.
From the hatching sands, Yellowed Ivory Egg has arrived.
From the hatching sands, The shard of the Yellowed Ivory Egg
fissures at the insistent tapping from within. As the shell pulls
away, a small, damp claw appears, pushing its way outside. More of
the shell drops in pieces to the hot sands below, a forelimb now
visible. The rest of the color-bleached hatchling follows soon
afterward, tumbling out onto the sands in a heap, one roundish bit of
shell resting on the edge of its damply glistening muzzle.
Blizzard's Hoar-Frost Hatchling
Covered in a sheet of snow and hoar-frost, the hatchling's features
are irritatingly hard to see. Nothing of color can be made out, but
the sleek, efficient lines of the frame give the impression of an
even-temper, a cloudless intellect, and a countenance born of dream.
From the hatching sands, Malent shakes his head, trying to see,
"Nic? she made it? a brown!"
From the hatching sands, Alessandra watches as the Bone Hatchling
skids across the sands, more and more tendrils of hair escaping the
coronet around her head. Trembling hands are forcibly stilled, and
clasped, and placed against the small of her back. Nicoli?...
"NICOLI!" she cries now, cheering happily across the sands towards
her friend.
From the hatching sands, Tania gasps and drops her friends hand.
"Nic!" she squeaks, "Oh, NIC!!! He's perfect, he is just perfect!"
From the hatching sands, " Nic." Arion's jaw drops, then he laughs
with delight. " Nicoli! Oh, Nicoli!" Hands clap as he forgets himself
long enough to dance out of excitement, rather than burning feet.
From the hatching sands, Leya jumps to the side, her hand pulled
from Nic's grasp...but the joy in her expression for her friend is
apparant to anyone nearby. "Oh Nic! I'm so happy!"
Zander has reconnected.
From the hatching sands, Daniel hears Nicoli and shouts through the
fog in her general direction, "Good for you, Nic!" He waves a hand
towards her, grinning.
From the hatching sands, Arallia's keen ears catch the sound of a
candidate, or rather weyrling, calling out her lifemates name. WIth a
grin the rider zips toward Nicoli and smiles, "Congrats you two, if
you'll follow me? We can get..Cerineth? Did you say? Some food."
From the hatching sands, Cerineth croons up at Nicoli. He pushes
against her again eagerly.
From the hatching sands, Isain catches on the echoes, the names, and
his freckled face lifts past all the cracking noises to the sound of
where Nicoli might just, just might be.
From the hatching sands, Ariat looks at the brown hatchling,
Cerineth and smiles, having given up on trying to congratualte the
newly impressed, that'll wait till later, as her attention is pulled
towards the swiftly moving hatchling and the cracking of an egg.
From the hatching sands, Jaethine pouts. "She Impressed," the lass
whines. "Now who can I talk to?"
Janine grins and bounces some more... "Nicoli!"
From the hatching sands, Sionelle returns to the sands as
inobtrusively as she came, which is to say the former weryrlingmaster
plows right into a stray candidate standing off away from the rest
of the group. She curses again, her sweet temper made all the sweeter
by the fog, steers Alessandra back upright with no apology, and
turns toward the object of the girl's loud shout, searching for the
candidate's name in her memory. "Nicory. Nickel--something... Nicoli.
"COme along with Cerineth now."
From the hatching sands, Maylia has arrived.
Jasmyn beams at the Igen girl.
*> From the hatching sands, Full Moon's Light Egg doesn't seem to
mind the grains sand and mixed snow that's been wafted up against
that shell. Leaning to the right then around to the front, its
momentum stops. All is quiet with this one. For now.
From the hatching sands, Tania reaches out a hnad to take
Jaethine's. "To me... you can talk to me..." she whispers to her with
a soft smile.
From the hatching sands, Hearing Nicoli's name, Medei squints across
the sands as he tries to find out where she's at. "Cerineth," he
says, as if testing the name and the way it sits on his tongue.
"Cerineth, that's a nice name. Isain... where are the others? Can you
see them?"
From the hatching sands, "Nicoli's Impressed, then...? Well done!"
Kindre says toward the foggy sands and the young woman who has just
found her brown. Or whose brown has just found her, more accurately.
From the hatching sands, Nicoli grins down at Cerineth, then looks
back to Sionelle and nods. "Of course. Come on Cerineth, we've food
for ya lad.." she says softly as she leads him along behind Sionelle,
eyes so entranced on his that she can't really see where she's
headed.
From the hatching sands, Lanryi grins and brushes wet hair out of
her face, "Congrats Nicoli."
From the hatching sands, Nicoli heads off towards the bowl on the
way to the weyrling barracks.
Terrilia grins at her happy friends, then frowns. "This fog! I wish
I could see..."
From the hatching sands, Bleached Wherry Bone Hatchling scoots
through the fog and icy droplets rapidly, closing fast on the line of
white-robed figures. Suddenly the dragonet pauses and peers back
over its shoulder, but before a definite glimpse of colored hide can
be seen, the hatchling is off again, this time in a new direction. No
lack of energy in this little one!
From the hatching sands, Isain says plaintively, "I can't see them
at all, Medei. One could be looking up my robe and I couldn't tell,
which is just as well, really. And, yeah, it's a great name."
From the hatching sands, Cerineth heads off towards the bowl on the
way to the weyrling barracks.
From the hatching sands, Malent raises an eyebrow, trying to make
out the movements of the fast one.
From the hatching sands, Blizzard's Hoar-Frost Hatchling just sits
there, breathing heavily, not knowing what to do with itself. After
shaking its head a little to clear it from the dizzying ride it just
took, the hatchling staggers itself to its feet. What is this
-stuff-?!? It looks around creeling. It can hear -things- out there,
but can't see those things. Creeling loudly, the dragonet goes out in
serach of -things-.
From the hatching sands, Arion's feet slow to a more decorous pace
as he settles down, returning to his vigilant watch on the fog
shrouded Sands. But that faint aura of jubilation remains; his
friends continue to Impress, and that's what's important to him.
*> From the hatching sands, Full Moon's Light Egg seems to make full
use of the hefty wind's force to begin with a quiver then a jolt.
That takes it to a leaning stance off to the left where it sits, not
moving.
From the hatching sands, Sionelle heads off towards the bowl on the
way to the weyrling barracks.
From the hatching sands, Ariat chuckles, "My one of those hatchlings
sure has a lot of energy...wish I could get a looksie." she says,
brushing a few sopping wet tendrils from her brow. She raises her
eyebrows and looks about, trying to find the owner of the creeling
voice.
From the hatching sands, Peering through the swirling fog, Daniel
dances from foot to foot as he sees movement, hands dancing on the
end of his arms.
From the hatching sands, Maylia returns, oil streaked across her
wherhide jacket, features stern despite the excitement. Just in time,
too, as a candidate stumbles backwards nearly right into her. With
an unheard curse, the Weyrlingmaster helps the lad to his feet again,
and gives him a shove back to his peers.
From the hatching sands, Liadan disregards the /Hatching/. The
storm's tenacious, tenebrous voice whispers through her entire body,
setting her all a'shiver with delight. Stretching her arms out, one
fist still tightly clenched about that puzzling stone, she tries a
slow spin in the heated sand, moving stiffly - she obviously doesn't
dance much.
From the hatching sands, Alessandra watches the Bone hatchling as it
changes direction, though she herself remains fixed firmly in place.
Vibrant eyes dance in the shrouding steam, bright with curiousity.
Her fingers are clenched tightly now, white with lack of circulation
to them; with a minute cry of pain she unclenches her hands, shaking
her fingers out to regain the color and feeling within them.
Dendra scans the sands as best she can, looking for Isain. "Oh, I
hope he Impresses tonight! Isain want this so much........."
From the hatching sands, Medei shifts again, raising one foot at a
time as if to help ease some of the burning sensation on his soles.
"Ow..." Fists again clenched into his robe, he scans as far as he can
through the snow and fog around him.
From the hatching sands, Malent says "Arion, maybe if we move
closer, they might be able to see us?"
Arden blinks at his daughter. "Is that the lad who was having so
much trouble at the Telgar class? Oh, I hope so too." He looks at
Ofira. "He might be better off as a rider.."
From the hatching sands, Kindre notes, almost to herself, "Now that
they've started, they're finding their lifemates quite quickly.
Efficient group."
Ofira nods to Dendra, watching tensely, "Does he? Yes...I think he
would be better off...let's hope it works out.
From the hatching sands, Bleached Wherry Bone Hatchling darts
forward as if it were on wheels, or maybe skiis with this cold
weather. For a moment, it looks like the rapid form will bowl over a
group of candidates, but never fear! This little green knows exactly
where to stop, and she slams on the brakes before two candidates -
one a very thin, dark-skinned lad and the other blonde-haired and
freckled. Almost as fast as she ran across the sands, she makes up
her mind, choosing the scrawny one as her lifemate.
From the hatching sands, Jehrina nods, "Good sign, that."
From the hatching sands, Keagan clutches his robe, more for moral
support than anything else. His eyes watch those eggs and their every
movement as if etching them in his memory.
From the hatching sands, M'dei just gawps for a moment at the green
standing in front of him. His breath leaves in a rush, and his hands
drop to her face as he breathes her name, "Gaiath." More loudly, but
still with no less wonder, he says, "Her name is Gaiath!"
From the hatching sands, Isain goes silent, things or no things ...
but then there's temptation again. "Mine too," he mutters back to
Medei. "Just pretend it's, I don't know, sunny. A beach. A lake over
there. One that we won't fall into and drown." Speaking of drowning,
with that dragonet up close to his friend: he swallows. "...Medei?
-Gaiath-?!"
From the hatching sands, Tania continues to shift from foot to foot,
watching her friends Impress all around her. She sees the dragonet
pause. "I think she's found her one..." she blinks. "Medei!... M'dei?
Gaiath! Oh, congrats!"
From the hatching sands, Ariat looks at the green and her eyes widen
as she watches her brake, "Wow! I never knew a dragon, let alone a
dragonet could do something like that." she smiles at M'dei, "Gaiath?
That's a beautiful name for a green! Congrats!"
From the hatching sands, Alessandra grins as Medei, pardon, M'dei,
is chosen by that vibrant little green. "Gaiath. What a beautiful
name... Well /done/!!"
From the hatching sands, Malent smiles as he hears the call, "Maybe
we should move. " he sees if Arion wants to go with him.
From the hatching sands, Full Moon's Light Egg has arrived.
From the hatching sands, Blizzard's Hoar-Frost Hatchling wanders
aimlessly around, its unerring directionals taking it AWAY from the
-things- rather than towards them. Hopefully, that will change in
time. It's not easy being snow-blind. A warble goes out as its sister
finds her mate, and then goes out into the stuff to try to find its
own. They're around here somewhere. It can almost -feel- it.
From the hatching sands, Arion glances sideways at Malent. " I don't
know if I'd want to get much closer, myself," he replies softly, but
conceeds the point just as Medei's chosen. " MEDEI!" And all bounds
are broken as the lad claps his hands sharply. Ex-Istan Candidate to
ex-Istan Candidate, 'Rion lets out a whoop.
From the hatching sands, Ornamental-wirework lines spread to wider
breaks on the surface of the Full Moon's Light Egg until a claw can
be seen poking through. Suddenly a snout emerges, only to be covered
by the cool moisture of snow. The inner struggle swells into an
explosion of effort, shattering the egg into shards that scatter
freely about the remaining egg. In the middle of the broken shells,
bugling triumph over its former encasement stands the victorious
hatchling.
Snow's Wind-Borne Roar Hatchling
Like the howling wind, this fledgling adds to the fury of the
blizzard with its own roar, a robust and resolute announcement of its
arrival. Through the haze and flurry of wind-borne snow, little
detail of this hatchling can be made out. Blunt lines, more rounded
and curved than others in the clutch, define the frame and give the
dragonet a solid, down-to-earth bearing.
From the hatching sands, Maylia's quick eyes spot that mystical
shape moving through the steam and snow. As the green pelts towards a
pair of candidates, she's not far behind. The young pair are given a
moment, before the Weyrlingmaster speaks up, right behind them, her
arm reaching for the lads' shoulder. "M'dei? If you'll help Gaiath
off the sands, to the barracks?" She suggests, indicating the way.
From the hatching sands, Lanryi shifts on her red feet sore from the
hot sand, but manages to grin and congratulate M'dei
From the hatching sands, Kindre gestures toward Medei - now M'dei -
and the green hatchling. "Did you see that one, A'lex? A very good
pairing!"
From the hatching sands, Alyssa has arrived.
From the hatching sands, M'dei looks up, though he seems loathe to
do so, and blinks at Maylia. Nodding, he mumbles, "Hungry. She's
hungry," he adds, looking down at the little green. "Let's go get
something for you to eat."
From the hatching sands, Palineth rumbles beneath the wind and snow,
lowering his head and emitting cheerful, burbling croons as he wraps
his tail around his mate's. Whirling eyes try and look in every
direction at once.
From the hatching sands, Malent jerks his head towards a sound, he
does take a few step more towards the middle of the caverns.
From the hatching sands, Daniel spots a bolt of movement near Medei,
then grins and waves, shouting a congratulations.
From the hatching sands, Isain scans left, scans right, spots,
"...Liadan," and takes an irresolute step towards her. "You may not
want to stand next to me," he warns. "They keep falling."
From the hatching sands, M'dei heads off towards the bowl on the way
to the weyrling barracks.
From the hatching sands, Maylia nods, rather curtly, and steers
M'dei gently. "There's food in there, lad." She patiently explains,
then calls after his back, "And watch her tail doesn't drag!"
From the hatching sands, Ariat looks about trying to discern the
other candidates and the dragonets from the billowing steam and the
noise of the storm, she looks about towards the sound of the croon
and then towards the sound of the newly hatched egg. She shifts
restlessly, or is it, painfully, on the sands.
From the hatching sands, Gaiath heads off towards the bowl on the
way to the weyrling barracks.
From the hatching sands, Blizzard's Hoar-Frost Hatchling thumps into
a wall and scrapes its wing a bit. Twin red lights peer thru the
snow and wind as the hatchling shrieks in pian and more frustration.
Who put this WALL here? There shouldn't be -walls- between the
-things- and the baby dragons! Chittering to itself, the hatchling
wanders almost by mistake back towards the feel of the Candidates.
From the hatching sands, Pleased with her success, Liadan spins
about again, faster, smoother. The storm whistles its approval as she
keeps her distance from Isain, only a faint swirl of the mist
revealing her presence. Three's a crowd, and Liadan's quite happy
with herself and the wind.
From the hatching sands, Alyssa returns, eyes dancing with the
excitement inherent in a hatching, even for someone experienced as
she.
Aidan says "I'm glad it moved back to the candidates, I was worried
a second that it wanted someone from outside the hatching grounds."
From the hatching sands, Alessandra continues to watch, now, finally
not nervous. No, she isn't antsy, or nervous, she is content to
simply watch. Both hazy forms of dragonet are eyed, curiously,
purpl'd eyes looking over the remaining candidates before tearing
over to the cry of pain from the Hoar-Frost hatchling. "Faranth," she
murmurs to herself, concern evident in the deep tone of her voice.
"Won't someone help that poor thing?..."
From the hatching sands, Malent winces as he hears the pain call,
trying to see where its at.
Kennyson has arrived.
From the hatching sands, Isain lets her be, muttering to, well,
Medel, "What was that Alyssa was saying about hoping no dragonet
hurts itself on a candidate? It was Alyssa, wasn't it? That was
-loud-."
From the hatching sands, Snow's Wind-Borne Roar Hatchling couldn't
care less that it's snowing, or, well, anything else. A shuffle, a
prance-like motion, then the fledgling's legs shoot outward, sending
the little one skidding along the surface of the snow. Eyes blink,
then a snort's given to the white stuff. Very interesting.
From the hatching sands, Ariat looks very concered as she hears the
painful shriek of the little dragonet, whom she can barely make out.
"I hope it's allright...it's be awful if it inujured itself!" she
tries to see better and does not succeed.
From the hatching sands, Squeeks and shrieks and squeels, it grates
in Arion's ears. " Poor thing," he murmurs to Malent, searching the
air to see what dragonet has found itself in trouble. " I wish
someone'd help it." He takes a tentative step forward himself, but
knows he has no way of even knowing where it is.
Ofira waves Kennyson over to where she and the other bakers are
sitting, her eyes not moving from the hatching scene, the baker
candidates in particular.
From the hatching sands, Daniel's head snaps towards the sound of
draconic pain, face twisting in concern. "What happened?" he asks the
people nearby.
From the hatching sands, Alessandra forces her gaze away from the
form of the Hoar-Frost hatchling, watching what she can see of the
Roar hatchling, now. Which, unfortunately, remains just a pair of
blinking eyes.
Kennyson wanders over to Ofira and the rest of the bakers. She
watches eyes round and full of wonder.
From the hatching sands, Tania peers about her too. "I wish this
snow would just go *between* where it belongs!" and flinches again.
"That sounded like it hurt..."
From the hatching sands, Ariat shrugs and looks at Daniel, "It hurt
itself...somehow."
From the hatching sands, Malent keeps looking back and forth between
the prancing figure and the cry of pain, trying to figure where they
are.
From the hatching sands, Maylia passes by Alyssa, as she resumes her
rounds. "Things under control in there?"She inquires, jerking her
head back towards the tunnel from the sands. But Malent's right there
near her, and she's distracted from her question. "You don't go /to/
a hatchling, lad. What'd we tell you? Asking to get hurt." With
that, she moves on.
Arden blinks as Kennyson wanders up. "Shouldn't you still be on the
sands, young man?" he asks, rather forcefully.
From the hatching sands, "Everyone keep calm," Alyssa instructs
quietly as she walks toward the cry of pain, keeping herself as
inobtrusive as possible. To Maylia she adds, softly, "I think so..."
Dendra says, "Daaaaaaaad! This is Kennyson, not Isain!"
From the hatching sands, On one side of the sands, a strapping boy
from Minecraft is found by what turns out to be a deeply blue dragon.
One, in fact, that looks purplish in places. The dragonet croons to
the boy, and Alnar - now A'nar - cries out, "Tifanth??" and kneels
down to embrace his lifemate.
Ofira sighs softly, turning briefly from the scene, "This one is
Kennyson," she explains to Arden, just as Dendra says so only more
loudly.
From the hatching sands, Jehrina peers about the cavern, then over
at Alyssa. "Did I just hear another one?"
From the hatching sands, Lanryi struggles to see the hatchlings in
the mist. Squinting and fanning in frot of her face, she attempts to
see farther in the fog and snow.
Kennyson blinks with shock. She mouthes the words "Man." lifting a
hand to her heart.
From the hatching sands, Blizzard's Hoar-Frost Hatchlingfinds itself
suddenly and almost frighteningly surrounded by those self-same
things it was looking for. Squawking a bit, he - for he definitely is
a he - tumbles backwards and falls onto his back, embarrassingly
enough, looking up some poor blonde boy's robe. The small bronze gets
up and looks into the boy's freckled face.
From the hatching sands, Malent nods, though it was Arion that said
something, he's not going to argue
Dendra is too lost in the hatching excitment to be tactful right now.
Arden ohs. "Well, then, I guess not." He gives Kennyson a last look,
then leans in to Ofira, "I was wondering how he'd gotten rid of the
robe so fast."
From the hatching sands, Ko doesn't add to the ripple of agreement
that moves through the Candidates. Remaining implacable, his only
movement is the shifting of his feet as he attempts to escape the
Sands' heat.
Ofira smiles at Arden and then turns back to stare, "Oh my..."
Kennyson looks horrified and finally speaks, "Sir..." she tugs on
his arm getting closer, "I'm a....girl."
From the hatching sands, Alyssa is occupied with trying to figure
out what's going on and entirely misses her son's Impression;
squinting into the mists, she looks this way and that, guardedly, for
that injured hatchling.
From the hatching sands, Maylia's not far from the cry of
"Tifanth??", and quickly alters her course to bring her close to the
former minecraft lad. A few quiet words, and the boy's helping his
blue to the barracks.
Ofira gestures to Kennyson to sit, "If Master Arden says you're a
boy, you're a boy, at least for the moment," she scolds. "Is that
one...going for Isain?"
From the hatching sands, Ariat raises her eyebrows and looks at the
bronze as she suddenly gets a glimpse of the young fellow. As he
squawks she gives him a concerned look and tries to see who's he's
impressed to, while calling out a congrats to the former Minecrafter.
From the hatching sands, I'sai's toes curl against the hot, hot
sand, for that long moment dream-silent - and then he whoops with
glee, as if he could somehow tell Benden Hold and all its bakers that
name, that embarrassment of riches: "Taralyth? -Taralyth-? Taralyth!
No, of course you're," and the rest is purely, surely gabble.
From the hatching sands, Snow's Wind-Borne Roar Hatchling somehow
gets those legs underneath to pull upright. Now this is something to
tell someone about! Maybe it's best to take one more look? Down goes
the chiseled head, muzzle plunging into the snow then withdraw. The
little fledgling marches forward, determined to tell that special
someone all about it!
Zelig frowns into the snow. "Isain? Shards it is!" He breaks into
clapping and cheering.
Arden turns back from Ofira and peers at Kennyson. He looks at the
girl and opens up his mouth, about to say something, then hears Ofira
speak and shuts his mouth. He ads his patented Master's grunt to the
end of it, instead.
Dendra stands up and screams Isain's name while clapping her hands
hard enough to bruise them!
Kennyson blinks, truly confused. She does as master Ofira says and
leans to her, "Is something wrong..with Arden?
From the hatching sands, Malent smiles quietly looking towards the
voices, he starts messing with his feet now that he is really
noticing the heat.
Tadiera has arrived.
From the hatching sands, Daniel clenches and unclenches his hands,
shifting his feet and staring wide-eyed into the swirling fog.
From the hatching sands, Kindre cannot quite see what is going on
either, but she does see Taralyth finding I'sai, and she smiles,
nodding to herself. "Congratulations!"
Ofira smiles, leaning over, "Oh, I /am/ pleased for him!" she
confesses to the other bakers, shaking her head slightly at Kennyson.
From the hatching sands, Tania gasps. "Isain? Bronze? Congrats!" she
calls out to him, though he probably can't hear her now...
From the hatching sands, Ariat smiles, "Congrat's I'sai!" she says,
her voice happy and calm, "What a good name!" she shifts and looks
about, brushing snow from her shoulders.
Kennyson stands suddenly upon hearing Isain. She too claps as hard
as Dendra.
From the hatching sands, Alessandra grins brightly as I'sai is
claimed by Taralyth, then starts giggling as she catches sight of a
muzzle dipping into the snow. What color muzzle is what she's
straining to see, soft voice still laughing merrily as she watches
the curious little Roar Hatchling.
From the hatching sands, Alyssa is close to I'sai as he and his
bronze lifemate find each other, and she closes a hand over his
shoulder, her touch gentle. "Congratulations, bronzerider. This way,
if you please...we need to get Taralyth something to eat."
From the hatching sands, Arion's voice isn't all there anymore, and
his call of congrats to Isain is lost in the wind. But the intent was
there, and that's good enough for him. A final look around, the
knowledge that there's only a few hatchlings left, sends the lad's
attention wandering.
Arden gets the picture now as everyone around him is cheering. "So
did the lad get one, then?" he asks his daughter.
From the hatching sands, Leya stares into her dragons' whirling
eyes, and expression of awe and wonderful joy painted on her face..
"Oh...Tovith!" she exclaims as happy tears start down her face. "Of
course I'm yours!"
Jasmyn stomps her feet and claps her hands, half in applause, half
in worrying about frostbite.
Ofira nods, sitting back, "I always knew baking wasn't the thing for
him...this just seems /right/," she says with satisfaction.
From the hatching sands, I'sai takes another look at Taralyth.
"You're not just eyes," he tells him out loud, if with one hand
stroking so very soft along that line of jaw. "Somebody wants us to
go that way. Can we go that way?"
Dendra sits back down and says, "Oh yes, he got the second bronze!
Isn't that wonderful?"
From the hatching sands, Taralyth waddles up and butts up against
his I'sai.
Dendra stands back up as she hears Leya's voice calling out a name
and starts cheering and clapping her bruised hands for her!
Malia sits up a little straighter. Did she just see something? Was
that a woodsmith of hers. "Leya?" she asks her journeyman. "Did I
lose Leya?"
From the hatching sands, Lanryi wipes her forhead and scans the
sands as best she can looking for hatchlings left, and stops short
hearing Leya's voice. "Oh, Congrats Leya!" she says.
From the hatching sands, "He's quite the handsome fellow," Alyssa
compliments as she guides I'sai and Taralyth toward the barracks.
"You two fit well."
From the hatching sands, Tania hears Leya next to her, and smiles.
"Leya..." she breaths. "Congrats." she says a litle louder.
From the hatching sands, I'sai grins, suddenly. "Thought so." And
off, unwittingly past Leya and her Tovith, they go.
From the hatching sands, Nimiriel takes a quick survey of the sands,
and nods at Kindre.
From the hatching sands, I'sai heads off towards the bowl on the way
to the weyrling barracks.
From the hatching sands, Ariat smiles and widens her eyes as she
sees Leya's impressed, "Congrat's Leya...it's name is Tovith? That's
also a good name." she says happily.
Arden nods. "Yes, it is. I hope he takes after my nephew over
there." He points down to a nondescript portion of the sands. "At
least, he -was- over there.."
From the hatching sands, Taralyth heads off towards the bowl on the
way to the weyrling barracks.
From the hatching sands, Maylia's quick steps take her to Leya's
side, though she waits for a moment behind the girl, a glimmer of a
smile as she watches. Heartbeats pass, and the Weyrlingmaster speaks
up. "Leya, I'm sure he's hungry. There's food this way, if you'll
help him?" She suggests, offering to lead the pair.
From the hatching sands, Daniel spots Leya's Impression in a sudden
clearing of the fog. Shouting a congratulations, he waves a hand in
the air, grinning like an idiot as his friend Impresses.
From the hatching sands, Alyssa heads off towards the bowl on the
way to the weyrling barracks.
Kennyson stands suddenly upon hearing Isain. She too claps as hard
as Dendra.
Janine bounces again. "Leya! I saw Leya impress!"
Dendra sits back down and just smiles at everyone. "Three of my
friends Impressed tonight! Isn't that great?!"
From the hatching sands, N'var fairly bounces. He wraps an arm
around Nimiriel and gives her a tight hug.
From the hatching sands, Leya looks at Maylia...still a little
dazed. "Of course" she says in a weak voice, overcome really.
"Did she?" Kyli abandons the futile attempt at keeping warm to peer
through the billowing steam. "What did she Impress to? A green? A
blue?"
Ofira sits back as well, flushed with the excitement and tallies up,
"Well, we lost Ceria, kept Keara...and I'sai was never quite with us
from the first, so I'll count this as overall a successful
hatching."
From the hatching sands, Alessandra stands quietly alone in her
place, calling out due congratulations as her hands fall to her
sides.
From the hatching sands, Leya calls Tovith closer to herself.
Zelig grins and settles back into his seat, huddling against the
cold. "With a brown and a bronze for Bakers. No one else has done as
well yet."
From the hatching sands, Leya heads off towards the bowl on the way
to the weyrling barracks.
Jasmyn sighs, and leans back, suddenly realizing her very stiff neck
and jaw.
From the hatching sands, Maylia actually smiles, patient for now
with dazedness. "Just watch his wingtips, don't let him drag them.
It's not far."
From the hatching sands, Maylia heads off towards the bowl on the
way to the weyrling barracks.
Arden shakes his head at Zelig. "Every dragon is just as important,
Zelig."
Ofira nods to Zelig, "Certainly. I'm sure dragonets know quality
when the see it," she says smugly.
From the hatching sands, Spinning, spinning, spinning; Liadan's wild
rhythm never stops as she whirls through the maelstrom of
wind-driven steam, wind-blown snow, wind-stirred dancing. Slowly, she
spirals closer to the eggs, if not the people; the storm encourages
her in her ballet for an audience of two.
From the hatching sands, "That's all of them, then?" Kindre says
with a sigh, her smile becoming a touch wistful. "It always seems to
end so soon..." She then walks toward the Candidates remaining,
brightening for them as she goes closer. It is difficult to tell in
this mist.
From the hatching sands, Ariat smiles and then shifts quietly in the
sands and looks up again at the hole which allows the snow from the
storm to enter the sands.
From the hatching sands, Tania stares at Liadan for along moment,
then looks around; all gone... friends impressed, and her alone -
again. She smiles bravely though.
From the hatching sands, Malent looks out at the sands, what he can
see of them, then looks at Arion, then who he can barely make out,
"Guess, I'm goin home."
From the hatching sands, Keagan stands, watching as the others
leave, pausing to brush the snow off his robe. He's not smiling,
almost a reflective look as he nods to the others.
From the hatching sands, Arion wanders closer to the others left,
folding his arms behind his back and linking his fingers as once more
his quiet sobriety takes over. Not a hint of disappointment, not a
whiff of anger; he's nothing but calm. " You could stay," he remarks
to Malent, cocking his head. " We'll always welcome you." He
indicates the other Candidates.
From the hatching sands, Alessandra remains quietly where she is,
not joining the other candidates. Purple eyes are soft, now, and down
to the sands that she can barely see again.
Terrilia cranes her neck and looks back and forth across the
grounds. "Is that it? Is it over?"
From the hatching sands, Ariat looks about, realizing that there are
no more shadowy egg figures in the mist and sighs, and bites her
lower lip, no longer smiling, but consoling herself with every once
of her character. She breathes deeply and holds her face in her hands
before raising her chin slightly.
Jasmyn nods silently to Terrrilia.
Arden hrms, gets up, and pronounces, "I'm hungry."
From the hatching sands, Malent gives a small bow in what he thinks
is the direction of the two dragons , turning back to Arion, "Nah,
Ser would skin me if I did, guess I'll see find a ride home."
Zander has partially disconnected.
Kennyson has connected.
From the hatching sands, Daniel settles back until he's standing
flat-footed, not really feeling the heat of the sands. Looking a bit
dazed, he blinks out into the fog, "Its over? Already?"
From the hatching sands, Lanryi lets out a little sigh and grins
looking to the barracks where the newly impressed weyrlings are.
Mirval yells out, "You better come home, Malent!" He waves
vigorously at his friend on the Sands.
From the hatching sands, Kindre raises her voice so that it carries
above any of the lingering sounds, any of the voices. "I realize this
is a difficult time for those of you still on the sands. You have
been a wonderful group - Arallia has had many good things to say
about each of you - and you arel all welcome to remain at Telgar, if
that's what you like. Otherwise, a dragonrider will take you home
when you wish. Not everyone finds his or her lifemate the first time,
so it may be your dragon was simply not on the sands in this
clutch."
From the hatching sands, Jehrina stands, somewhere in the area near
Kindre, nodding faintly at her words.
From the hatching sands, Arion's lips twitch upwards. " Stay in
touch, Malent," replies the ex-Telgari Candidate. " Please." One hand
is pulled from behind his back, offered out to the other. Even as he
does so, part of his attention turns to Kindre. " Or the second?" is
softly murmured under his breath.
From the hatching sands, Malent hears the weyrwoman, "May we leave?"
E'ryn has left.
From the hatching sands, Ariat turns to Malent, "It was nice knowing
you Malent, even the short time that I did. Maybe we'll cross paths
some day." she attempts a brave smile, but you can see tears are in
her eyes, but she is handling this well, "I..I think I may like to
stay."
From the hatching sands, Nimiriel smiles at N'var, and draws up
close to Jehrina and Kindre, nodding.
Arden looks to the other Bakers, saying, "I hope you all are coming
to the cavern for a bite? And to warm up?" With that, the old Master
shuffles down the stairs.
Arden walks off towards the Central Bowl.
Velvet has arrived.
From the hatching sands, Arallia stands with her hands lightly
clasped behind her as she listens to Kindre. The greenrider nods
along with her words and offers encouraging smiles to those around
her.
Kyliven quickly stands, waiting as a few spectators begin to make
their way out for the feast and congratulations. "I'm heading back
home before my fingers fall off - I don't care how great the feast
will be!" Spoiled we are, by Turns of baking in the desert.
Aidan walks off towards the Central Bowl.
Dendra looks at Zelig and says, "That sounds good to me. I'm tired
of seeing my breath."
Ofira looks at the other bakers and smiles, "Well, shall we?"
Tadiera walks off towards the Central Bowl.
Tanata walks off towards the Central Bowl.
"Is that all of them? The dragons?" Malia asks. "And I just lost
one? Not too bad...since we had so many standing this time around"
she says with satisfaction.
From the hatching sands, Keagan sends Tania a sympathetic smile,
then the smile fades. He seems confused, perhaps not as he listens to
those around him.
Zelig nods slightly. "If we don't have to help serve." zelig smiles
and stands.
Dendra nods and follows Arden out of the Galleries.
Jasmyn looks around, shaking off a bit of snow. 'We going s-s-soon?"
She chattaers to Janine.
Ofira walks off towards the Central Bowl.
---
[Editor's Note: At I'sai's suggestion/request, I'm including the
final, colored descs for each dragonet, in order of Impression.
Thanks for providing these, Is! :) ]
Ceria's brown Carabeth:
Palpably present, the fledgling's form seems immutable, even as he
moves. Rich, cinnamon streaks color a lighter, drabber khaki brown
along the confident lines of his back, while the hide deepens to a
darker sepia in his extremeties. Touches of hazel and beige dust his
upper neck and headknobs, and bring a lightness to the visage of his
angular, wedge-shaped head. The spars and mainsails of his wings are
dotted with patches of tawny, ginger and more cinnamon streaks, all
culminating in a brash, yellow-brown under-coloring that likens this
dragonette to an oak leaf left to fall in autumn. Stark lines, and a
strong, confident demeanor ensure he will not fade with time, however.
---
Jenni's blue Jaereth:
Nature has endowed this fledgling with an unusual hue of azure blue
lit by pale cerulean accents. His frame combines slight stature with a
willowy figure, giving him a long, lean and graceful countenance.
Angular, sharp, features shape his every detail, from the spiked
pinions and faceted haunches to the protruding eyeridges and small,
triangular head. Long, thin talons and teeth match this jagged casing,
laced with flecks of sapphire and indigo. Rising with wings spread, he
displays the soft, subdued color of his underbelly, as well as the
intense, darker hue of the thin membranes around his spars and leading
edges. Eyes and demeanor, both, speak to an incredible intelligence
and already wizened nature.
---
J'var's green Miseth:
Smooth like silk, this hatchling is a deep emerald green. Grass-colored
flashes play across the rippling muscles of her hindquarters and
shoulders. Her small beak almost seemd painted a mily jade color.
Splashes drip up her face and fade into the darkness of her neck and
shoulders. As her wings unfurl and dry off, some of the jade tips them
as well, and run along the wing spars, again fading at the leading edge
of her wings. Whirling eyes are red, but seem to be a dark red, barely
tinged with orange and violet.
---
M'kon's bronze Nioth:
Brilliant ochre highlights flash across a coppery, fire-forged bronze
hide. Twists and streaks of vermillion, russet, gold, and silver hues
ebb and flow over the surface in a maelstrom of metallic coloring.
Some of this chaos subdues in the thin and translucent membrane of
the spars, mainsails, and leading edges, turning them a wispy
champagne more reminiscent of the fledgling's sire. With pinions swept
back, the dragonet's underbelly shows off a simularly light
countenance, but the rest of him is unburnished metal. His features
are delicate, from the meticulous, compact haunch and long, winding
tail to the sculpted and muscular chest and neck. Lifting from that is
a refined, triangular head held at an uncertain angle. His tentative
step is tinged with the doubt of a true, innocent new-born.
---
Nicoli's brown Cerineth:
His gangly feet are almost a slate grey, pocked here an there with
tufts of scrub green. As one moves up, however, darker cracks appear,
and from between them emerges the purest brown imaginable. Jutting
forth up his legs, like the trunk of a skybroom the brown becomes
mottled in patterns resembling bark. His torso, too, looks to be
carved of wood; veins run here and there, and where his arms extend
from his shoulders there are even the swirls of a few knots. Thin
fingers of brown extend themselves out across his wingsails, and
between them is the brown green of the top of the Skybroom. Lighter on
the wing membranes, it allows the light to pass through as if it
actually were leaves, but the darker burnished green on his head
dissolves into a leafy pattern that stretches up and over his
eyeridges.
---
M'dei's green Gaiath:
Verdant hues of rich, luminous green, like ancient and new-born fern
leaves, mix and flow through a web of stringent sage. There is passion
and power in even her most minute movements, authority as well as a
certain erotic hunger permeating her demeanor. Delicate pinions sweep
back from a thin and sinuous frame, her preditory, wedge-shaped head
the focus of all this tumult. The darker, secretive hues of her back,
haunch, and neck wash out on the softer underbelly, leaving the hide a
luscious yellow-green tint that glimmers in any direct light, and her
tail is a living thing, all its own, that writhes and snakes behind her
in a timeless, life-affirming dance.
---
I'sai's bronze Taralyth:
Prismatic streaks blaze back from the leading edges of this fledgling's
too-soft hide. The general shade flows from a night's moody cognac at
his nosetip to a champagne dawn at his tail. Limbs and tail are
diplomatically porportioned, allowing both for intellectal dreaming and
lusty compromise. Even-tempered, and modestly built, the bronze
presents a stunning profile with but the smallest of blemishes hidden
within. Cloudless, perceptive eyes fix his countenence: blue diamonds
channeled in living bronze.
---
Leya's brown Tovith:
Robust, rounded curves and lines define a frame that will no doubt be
mountainous by the time this hatchling comes of age, and yet his
considerable bulk manages to somehow avoid being cumbersome or
ponderous. In fact, there is a mercurial agility to his lithe movement
that suggests a keen and intellectual presence behind the coppery,
vermillion hide. Auburn pinions are distinctly marked with streaks of a
deeper and darker bay shade that filters down his haunches and limbs.
There, the color becomes mottled, like rich, rain-fed mud. Along his
thick neck, the rust-red colored hide deepens as well, so that his
grand, wedge-shaped head has the look of fine mahogany and lends him an
air of weathered, seasoned grace.